History
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.
Marcus Garvey
We want children to learn more, remember more and therefore be able to do more with a firm and secure knowledge of History. We have built up a History curriculum which will equip children with the skills and processes necessary to understand about the past of themselves, their families, the country they live in and the world they inhabit. 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. Over their school experience children will be taught to link historical knowledge with historical processes and explore events with curiosity, building arguments, weighing evidence and articulating their own ideas.
This development will be built up over time, ensuring that historical skills are introduced and taught in depth and that more complex sources are used progressively. Children will revisit previous knowledge regularly, enabling them to store and build into their long term memory. They will begin to make sense of new learning, understand chronology, begin to make links between different time periods and see the ‘bigger picture’.
Creating timelines at the beginning of each unit will be central to the children's experience in order to understand when historical events occurred. 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.
DET Curriculum Principles
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The Bigger Picture
Lessons follow a narrative and form part of a coherent map which is effectively sequenced and planned. As a result, students are supported to build schemas in their long-term memory to help retention and support application of knowledge.
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Knowledge Rich
The subject curricula combine a rich blend of knowledge and the related disciplinary skills. Acquiring fundamental knowledge and being able to quickly access relevant information from memory are prerequisites for deeper learning and reasoning.
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Literacy Development
Literacy is at the heart of the curriculum and students’ ‘disciplinary literacy’ is prioritised. Vocabulary rich lessons ensure students have the opportunity to develop their vocabulary (including tier 2/3 vocabulary) , extending knowledge and helping them to become confident communicators and learners. Students have the opportunity to read appropriately complex texts, break down complex writing tasks, combine writing instruction with reading and use structured talk in order to increase students’ understanding across the curriculum. Where necessary students are provided with individual literacy support in support of the aim for all to leave school with the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
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Enrichment
Varied experiences enrich lives, engage imaginations, stretch skills and allow students to think creatively and independently. We recognise that reading is an essential tool in developing layers of meaning and knowledge - simply put, read more and know more.
Substantive and disciplinary knowledge
Through the curriculum pupils will learn factual information about the specific topic and time period they are studying. This will help them to build on their substantive knowledge. They will then begin to develop disciplinary knowledge and skills by being able to think and work like historians by;
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Asking and answering questions
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Drawing inferences from primary and secondary sources
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Understand that different interpretations can arise due to bias
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Drawing conclusions from what they have seen as evidence and learnt
Our curriculum
Purpose of study for History
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.
Aims
The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:
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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
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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
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gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
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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
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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
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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.
Early Years
Pupils begin their learning journey in Nursery and Reception under the guidance of the ‘Development Matters’ curriculum. Knowledge is built through playing and exploring and History is taught through ‘Understanding of the world’.
From Nursery, pupils will have the opportunity to:
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Talk about family and show interest in the lives of people who are special to them
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Talk about similarities and differences to others that connects and distinguishes them
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Talk about significant events in their own experience
In Reception, they will have the additional opportunity to :
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Learn about their families and people who are special to them
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Talk about members of their immediate family and community
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Learn about the similarities and differences between them and others
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Introduction of the terms ‘past and present’
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Learn about the similarities and differences of places
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Recognise different beliefs
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Features of different environments
Key Stage 1
Pupils 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.
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching about the people, events and changes outlined below, teachers are often introducing pupils to historical periods that they will study more fully at key stages 2 and 3.
Pupils should be taught about:
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changes within living memory. Where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life
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events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]
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the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods [for example, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and LS Lowry, Rosa Parks and Emily Davison, Mary Seacole and/or Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell]
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significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
How is History taught in KS1?
History is taught alternate terms throughout the academic year. The History units are covered in Term 1, Term 3 and Term 5. Teachers should be teaching one lesson a week and the work should be completed in History books.
The layout in books should be:
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A cover page for the unit of work
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Knowledge organizer
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Mind map - Completed as a class through discussions and questioning
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A timeline for period of history being studied (constructed as a whole class task and displayed)
An enquiry question should also be used at the start of the unit to help direct pupils thinking and search for evidence. At the end of each lesson it is expected that pupils will revisit the mind map and complete what they have found out and learnt. They should be able to write simple sentences with some technical vocabulary. This knowledge will support pupils to begin to form ideas and thoughts towards answering the enquiry question.
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.
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
Pupils should be taught about:
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changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
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This could include:
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the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
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This could include:
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Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
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This could include:
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the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
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This could include:
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a local history study
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Example
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a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
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Examples
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the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
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Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
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a non-European society that contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.
How is History taught in KS2?
History is taught every other long term, in Key Stage 2 .
Key Stage 2
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
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Year 3 |
History |
Geography |
History |
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Year 4 |
Geography |
History |
Geography |
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Year 5 |
History |
Geography |
History |
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Year 6 |
Geography |
History |
Geography |
Teachers should be teaching one lesson a week and the work should be completed in History books.
The layout in books should be:
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A cover page for the unit of work
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Knowledge organizer
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Mind map
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A timeline for period of history being studied
At the start of each lesson, it is expected that pupils will revisit their mind map and discuss their learning from the previous lesson in response to the key question E.g. Who was Boudicca?. They should be able to talk in detailed sentences using technical vocabulary.
An enquiry question is to be used at the start of the unit as a means of looking for evidence. This question should be displayed on the History board and revisited throughout the term to gather evidence. At the end of the unit the question is to be answered using evidence gained throughout the teaching. This can be in the form of short answers, long answers, quizzes, projects or essays. Pupils are expected to use technical vocabulary and are encouraged to use important dates e.g. World War 2.
Timelines will form an integral part of each history unit. Pupils will have the opportunity to use and create timelines to help them understand the topic under study. This will also support their understanding of key events and chronology
