History Curriculum Statement of Intent
A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of local history, Britain’s past and that of the wider world. History should be engaging and inspirational, teaching pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence 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.
A sense of history begins from an early age, with children’s own personal experiences and memories. Through their relationships with grandparents and other family members they start to explore deeper into the past in a way that is relatable to them.
It is our goal that all children should develop:
We want our children to connect with historical periods through a meaningful context. From KS1, we teach history through an Enquiry-based approach. Skills, knowledge and vocabulary are planned for and extended through progressive Enquiries through the school, where ‘historian’ is a lead or supporting ‘state of being’.
Rather than teaching historical periods in isolation, we gradually build up an understanding of the past through examining events that are relevant and accessible to the children. For example, in the Year 1 Enquiry ‘Who helps whom?’, we use our proximity to the coast to explore the role of the RNLI; how they might have helped people in the past and how their role has changed over time, with a specific focus on the life of Grace Darling.
As pupils’ historical skills develop, in Year 3 we consider the question ‘How can we find out about people in the past?’ where pupils examine a range of primary and secondary historical sources, considering their value and what we can learn and infer from them.
In Year 6 ‘Who were the greater engineers, Ancient Britons or Victorians?’ develops children’s use of analytical skills to make a direct, informed comparison, using carefully examined evidence to back up their findings.