History Subject Leader: Mrs. E Bishop
History helps our pupils to appreciate the complexity and diversity of human societies and development. Pupils are given the opportunity to look back at human experiences across time and place, to fully understand their place in the world; exploring rights and wrongs, morals and ethics.
Intent
At Cliffe Woods Primary School, we aim for History to be understood, enjoyed and celebrated. The history curriculum at Cliffe Woods makes use of resources within the wider local area, allowing children to develop an understanding of the rich history of their locality.
Topics are informed by the National Curriculum and are also linked to the local area. The history curriculum at Cliffe Woods is planned and structured to ensure that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy. In line with the National Curriculum 2014 Curriculum, at Cliffe Woods we aim for all pupils to: Enhance their ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently; Gain a passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways; and begin to gain an excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods and of historical concepts and processes.
Implementation
History is taught across the school to ensure that all children deepen their understanding of historical topics. Teachers have identified key procedural and semantic knowledge for each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group. By the end of year 6, children will have a breadth of knowledge about key periods in History, from the Stone Age to the present day. They will be able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives.
Cross-curricular outcomes in History are specifically planned for, with links between the History curriculum and English lessons. To enhance children’s learning and understanding, the local area is utilised, and opportunities for learning outside the classroom are used and encouraged by class teachers. Every year group carries out a History Day to enrich the children’s understanding of a particular topic, allowing them the opportunity to immerse themselves into the cultural practices of that time period. Within each year group area, children have access to a Historical timeline, which can be used independently by the children to develop their understanding of chronology. Planning is informed by the National Curriculum. Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.
Impact
Outcomes in topic and literacy books show a range of historical objectives being taught. Children are encouraged to reflect on what they have learnt throughout the topic, and how it relates to other periods in History.
In History lessons, teachers place emphasis on analytical thinking and questioning which helps pupils to infer information from historical sources and develop critical thinking and curiosity. In turn, this enhances their abilities to sift through information and form their own judgements and arguments.
Local history displays in each Key Stage Two classroom allows children to source, contribute and identify historical links within the locality. Furthermore, this gives children the opportunity to become passionate historians and empowers children to take charge of their own learning.
History in Each Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year. There is a particular focus on families and generations which links in with timelines and chronology later in KS1 and KS2. In EYFS, children are encouraged to think about similarities and differences between now and the past which is a constant theme throughout our History work. We also look at famous historical figures such as Guy Fawkes and historical events including the moon landing.
In Key Stage 1, we study History through investigating and interpreting the past, building an overview of world history, understanding chronology and communicating historically. The children learn about a variety of different historical figures including Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II and through historical events such as The Battle of Hastings and The Great Fire of London. Children are encouraged to discuss chronology and use timelines and relate events to each other.
Key Stage 2 continues to study History under the same headings as Key Stage 1. There is an emphasis on links to knowledge previously taught. The children are encouraged to develop further questioning and investigation skills and develop their understanding of chronology. In Year 3 and Year 4, the children study different topics from Milestone 2 including the Stone Age, The Egyptians and the Romans. In Years 5 and 6 the children work on topics from Milestone 3 including The Mayans and The Tudors. By the end of the Year, 6 children should have developed a range of historical skills including questioning and investigating through the use of artefacts and a broad understanding of world history.
History Progression
SEND Information
SEND and disadvantaged children are given the required support within history lessons to access all National Curriculum objectives.