History
HISTORY
Intent
Our history curriculum aims to enable the children to investigate and interpret the past and discover how events from yesterday have impacted on the world that they live in today. We aim for a high quality history curriculum which should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We want to provide our children with plenty of opportunities to investigate, respect and value how different communities lived and how they have shaped our modern day communities. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge to help enable them to understand our ever-changing world so that they may be successful citizens within their future world.
We want our pupils to learn about the history of Britain and how it has influenced and been influenced by the wider world; build an overview of world history including ancient civilizations and empires; changes in living memory and beyond living memory; learn about the lives of significant people of the past; understand the methods of historical enquiry and be able to ask and answer questions.
We want children to foster a love of learning about history by gaining knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits.
Implementation
History at Park is taught as part of a termly topic, so that children can learn to make links between their historical knowledge and other areas of the curriculum. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school. By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. This concept involves an understanding of how to chart the passing of time and how some aspects of history studied were happening at similar times in different places. We want our children to be able to communicate historically, using historical vocabulary and techniques to convey information about the past. By the end of year 6 they are able to draw comparisons of the times studied with those of other areas of interest around the world and make connections between different time periods and their own lives.
Cross curricular outcomes in history are specifically planned for, with strong links between the history curriculum and English lessons enabling further contextual learning. Planning is informed by and aligned with the national curriculum. We use a range of teaching and learning styles in our history sessions and encourage children to ask and answer historical questions. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. Children have opportunities to use a variety of primary and secondary resources, such as artefacts, photographs, paintings, pictures, stories, poems, myths, legends, music, information books, historical documents and IT programs where this serves to enhance their learning. Children take part in role play, group discussions, research and presentational activities. Whenever possible, the children are given opportunities to have ‘first hand’ experiences through historical drama days and out of school visits.
Impact
Outcomes in linked learning and English books, evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge. Children review the success criteria at the end of every session and are actively encouraged to identify their own target areas, with support from their teachers. Children also record what they have learned comparative to their starting points at the end of every topic. The children will also progress from answering straight forward closed questions in year three, to more open questions and eventually deeper discussion around the areas of study in year six.
The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Park Junior are equipped with historical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world. We want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about history, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.