History Curriculum Statement
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
Marcus Garvey
History is a statutory subject of the National Curriculum. At Fairhaven CE VA Primary School, history is taught as a discrete subject in Key Stage 1 and 2. In the Early Years Foundation Stage it is incorporated into the Knowledge of the World strand of learning.
| Intent | |||||
At Fairhaven CE VA Primary School we aim to encourage our pupils to develop an understanding and appreciation of the past through the use of primary and secondary sources. The children will think like historians, becoming the ‘best historians they can be’, showing curiosity and the ability to make insightful and evidence based statements about how people once lived and how previous groups of people have impacted upon our modern lives. Our history curriculum has been designed to cover all of the skills, knowledge and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum states that ‘a high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.’ To ensure that pupils develop secure knowledge that they can build on, our history curriculum is organised chronologically to enable the children to make clear links to their prior knowledge and to prevent misconceptions. The carefully planned approach is evident in the long term planning and will ensure that all pupils: -gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world which helps to stimulate pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past -are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement -begin to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. | |||||
| Implementation | |||||
Curriculum planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. Teachers use CUSP resources to inform their planning and teaching. Within Key Stage 1, the learning focuses on influential people and key events within history. In Key Stage 2, history has been organised in chronological blocks from Year 3 to 6 which supports the childrens’ understanding of how periods of time link together. By the end of Year 6, the children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They are able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Rome, the Egyptians and the Mayans.The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in Foundation Stage to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year. All learning begins with the retrieval of prior knowledge which is carefully supported to enable the children to develop connections to their previous learning. Cross curricular outcomes in history are specifically planned for, with strong links between the history curriculum and English lessons enabling further contextual learning. The local area is also fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes. 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. Outcomes of work are monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. Within our knowledge-rich approach, there is a strong emphasis on people and the community of our local area. Our children will be given a variety of experiences both in and out of the classroom where appropriate to create memorable learning opportunities and to further support and develop their understanding. Reading is embedded into the curriculum through the planned use of quality texts. | |||||
| Impact | |||||
By the end of Key Stage 2, the children will know more, understand more and remember more about the history of Britain and the wider world and be motivated and inspired to continue their learning as they progress into Key Stage 3. The children will: -have a secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered -be able to talk about what they have learnt in history using subject specific vocabulary -be able to create a timeline of British history -know about the history of their local environment -be able to use a range of historical resources to shape their views -be able to think critically about history and communicate confidently their view on why events took place -recognise how people of the past and significant events have shaped our modern day lives. |
