Curriculum Statement - History

Intent

At Christ Church First School, we want history to inspire pupils to learn about the world they live in and gain a deep understanding of how history has shaped our society today. We want our curriculum to be representative of the children that we teach, broaden their horizons and equip them with the skills and processes necessary to find out more about the recent and distant past which is relevant to them. Children will be immersed in a broad and rich curriculum which will provide them with facts, dates and accounts of the past from primary and secondary sources.

To deepen their experience, pupils will be provided with artefacts, photographs, oral and written sources. Through our curriculum, children will be taught to link historical knowledge with historical processes and explore events with curiosity, build on arguments, weigh evidence and formulate their own ideas.

The curriculum is designed to build on previous learning, ensuring that historical skills are taught alongside new knowledge. At Christ Church, we are working to ensure conceptual threads are woven into the curriculum, they are revisited and that they build the bigger picture of change over time within society and development of knowledge. We want children to recognise the causes and effects of actions and developments over time. Children will revisit previous knowledge, to make room for new knowledge and build upon the knowledge by remembering more and knowing more.

We want children to make sense of new learning chronologically and where it fits in the bigger picture, not necessarily by teaching the curriculum in chronological order. Creating timelines in all classrooms, particularly in KS2 will be central to the children's experience in order to: understand when historical events occurred, be able to compare significant events and eras and be able to have a bigger sense of understanding of world history. These will be an intrinsic part of each topic as they will support children to create links and deepen their understanding of what went before and after.

Implementation

At Christ Church, we use Key Stage History resources to deliver our curriculum. By doing so, we know that the children will be taught the skills they need to become effective historians. This scheme teaches both content and skills needed to be curious learners in a coherent way that allows children to progress year on year.

Key Stage 1

Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They should use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

Key Stage 2

Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

History is taught over three half terms in the academic year.  History is taught once a week within these half term blocks, and lessons will follow a sequence and form a journey. Within this sequence, children will recall key aspects of knowledge learnt previously, build on new knowledge, and using historical skills and processes, be able to answer a line of enquiry at the end of the journey.

Impact

As our Year 4 pupils move on to middle school, they will have developed a historical mind of inquiry. Pupils will have a strong chronological understanding of historical events, making connections between their influence on the past and their potential influence on future events. They will be able to make connections between different time periods and show enthusiasm about the past.