| What we do. |
| Our history curriculum includes half termly topics for all children and is taught discretely. Subject areas are chosen carefully, to ensure the EYFS learning goal and the National Curriculum expectations for KS1 are met. Our history lessons aim to inspire children’s curiosity to know more about the past and to excite them to develop their own skills as historians. Historical events and people studied, are chosen for their significance, impact on the world, inspiration and fascination. |
| How we do it. |
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History is taught weekly as a discrete lesson, although links are made with other subjects where appropriate, so that children can apply their knowledge and understanding. Units begin with a timeline (linking topics and events already studied) so that children can contextualise the past with the present. Timelines are displayed in classrooms for reference. Teaching builds on prior knowledge and skills, ensuring progression. (See How we ensure progress, below) Key vocabulary is pre taught and displayed in the classroom. Lessons are planned to allow children to talk about, question, explain, describe and compare events from the past, and to understand their impact on the present. Children are given the opportunities to handle artefacts, use source materials, look at pictures, photographs and maps, and to explain how we use these to find out about the past. Individual lessons are planned to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, to ensure the curriculum is fully accessible. |
| How we ensure progress. (skills) |
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Our ‘History: Progression of skills’ document ensures that lessons are carefully planned to show development of skills/knowledge across year groups. Planning guides children to move from e.g. recounting and talking about events, to explaining and comparing them from Year 1 to Year 2. Detailed medium-term plans include learning objectives which are closely matched to the progression statements, and learning tasks are designed to enable this progress to take place. Our Progression of skills documents can be read here |
| What we want children to remember from each unit. (knowledge) |
| Before each unit is taught, a series of questions that we want the children to be able to answer is created. These will be asked in the way of a short quiz/questionnaire at the end of the unit. E.g. In what year did the Great Fire of London take place? How do we know about the fire? What changes came about in London after the fire? |
| How we assess history. |
| Teachers assess children’s progress against the ‘History: progression of skills’ document and a short knowledge-based quiz at the end of each unit. |
| How we make history enjoyable. |
| We ensure that children enjoy their history lessons by enabling them to use a variety of resources, including artefacts and other source materials, and by providing exciting learning enrichment experiences. Technology such as laptops are used for example, to undertake research in lessons. Where possible, school trips are planned around topics studied e.g. Bagshot walk, Sea City Museum. Visitors are invited to the school to share their own experiences of life in the past and we hold a ‘History Day’ annually where children dress up as an historical character. |
