History

History Curriculum

Intent 

History intends to prepare each student for their next phase of education whilst at the same time giving all students a broad and balanced view of the History of Britain and other societies. In this, students will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and its events, with intention to improve every students’ understanding of the world around them. Pupils will learn lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their lives in the future, supporting the school’s overall focus of pupils becoming responsible citizens. History at Findern aims to be ambitious, and motivating. Ambitious in our coverage of History and thorough teaching of Historical skills. Motivating, through engaging activities, trips and visitors that give all students an opportunity to question the past.  History is promoted through the celebrations of anniversaries, festivals and events throughout the year, which are also linked to other areas of the curriculum.

At Findern Primary School, we have designed our History curriculum with the intent that our children will: 

• Become increasingly critical and analytical thinkers 
• Possess a secure understanding of the chronology of Britain and other periods of History 
• To discover links and connections to the History they learn
• Further their knowledge and explanations of change and continuity over time with regards to the history of the Britain and other societies
• Differentiate between source types and explain how interpretations in History may differ  

• Draw on similarities and differences within given time frames and across previously taught History 
• Enquire in to Historical themed questions and form their own opinions and interpretation of the past 

Implementation 

The curriculum is led and overseen by the History lead. As History lead a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice will contribute to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further.   

The teaching, learning and sequencing of the History curriculum follows: 

• A blocked curriculum approach has been implemented to ensure coverage and progression in all skills relating to History.
• In EYFS, the Historical skills will focus on changes over time and using stories and non-fiction books to find out more about festivals and celebrations.
• In KS1, the Historical skills will focus on the world around them and their living memory of History before moving to events that go beyond living history. This will ensure a firm foundation for KS2 History. 
• In KS2, the History curriculum is set to allow children to reference the previous events in time and to refer to this prior learning year-on-year and within the year.  
• The progression of skills is set out in order to build and develop the following: 

• Chronological Understanding 

• Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past 
• Connection and Historical Links 
• Interpretations of History 
• Historical Enquiry 

• Children are taught the sequence of skills and knowledge.

• Lessons will develop long term memory by allowing for repetition of learning within the year and year on year.  
• The use of knowledge organisers are to aid teachers in planning their knowledge and skills and students in understanding the expectations by the end of the unit.  
• Vocabulary is taught within the unit and reinforced throughout the year this key vocabulary is displayed within classrooms.

Impact

We will assess the impact of our History curriculum through formative and summative assessments. We are looking to find out if our children have built upon their learning from previous years and are able to make links between historical events and how these have shaped the world we live in. Children will make connections between what they have previously learnt and what they are currently learning. The children will become increasingly critical and analytical within their thinking, making informed and balance judgements based on their knowledge of the past. They will develop enquiry skills to pursue their own interests within a topic and further questioning. All these skills will be transferable between other areas of the curriculum. The learning environment across the school with be more consistent with historical vocabulary displayed, spoken and used by learners.