Culmstock Primary School

Intent

To deliver high quality lessons that engage our students and inspire them to explore more about the past. To give our children the knowledge of historical time lines and events in Britain and the wider world. We will give our children the knowledge and vocabulary to become active historians. We will encourage them to ask perceptive questions and provide them with skills so that they can think critically, weigh evidence, sift argument and develop perspective and judgement to reach their own conclusions. We believe in the importance of history in enabling pupils to appreciate the complexity of others’ lives, how things change, the diversity of society and the relationships between different groups. Through the teaching of history our students learn more about their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Implementation

History is planned in topics, half termly within a two year rolling programme. Children are explicitly taught the relevant vocabulary for history and this is displayed on the working wall and referenced during teaching. Assessments in the form of ‘Quizzes’ are at the beginning, middle and end of all units of study to measure attainment and ensure long term knowledge is embedded. Key vocabulary and knowledge is highlighted at the start of every unit through the use of a knowledge organiser in pupil’s exercise books. History skills from the National Curriculum have been mapped out across the school to ensure the skills are taught in progression. All teaching of history is in line with the National Curriculum history programme of study.

Impact

Culmstock children have a broad and balanced understanding of the history of the world and in particular Britain. They have a coherent understanding of the chronology of events they have learnt across their primary education. They will have a love of history and grow up to be young adults with a curiosity and knowledge about the past and how it has shaped our present and will go on to shape our future.

The planning and sequence of History has been compiled following the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils 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. NC 2014

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’ (Vocabulary)
• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.