History

Intent

Appreciate, Participate, Innovate

Appreciate – to be equipped with a breadth of history vocabulary and language, the inclination to learn something new and a sense of wonder.

Participate – to be actively engaged in the entire History curriculum, as appropriate, using our ‘Keys for Success.’ Children will learn about key aspects and concepts, such as chronology, cause and effect, similarity and difference, significance and hierarchy. All projects also develop historical skills based on evidence and historical enquiry.

Innovate – to have the understanding, aspiration and motivation to apply their learning. There are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, history projects are sequenced accordingly.

Underpinning this is a clear progression in their substantive and disciplinary knowledge. By the end of each year, children should have gained the substantive knowledge (knowledge of established historical facts) and disciplinary knowledge (knowledge of the methods used in history to establish facts) in the skills and core knowledge statements for the year group.

Purpose of Study

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 science 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.
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.

How is this subject planned?

National Curriculum is taught in KS1 and KS2
In the Early Years the Foundation Stage Curriculum is taught.
Each year group has termly or half termly projects, each with subject knowledge and skills to be taught
The National Curriculum for History is taught through subject specific projects. Where appropriate, there is interconnection between history and other subjects, for example geography. The purpose of this is to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge. Pupils also need to develop fluency and unconsciously apply their knowledge as skills.

Implementation

The Stanmore Approach

Our approach ensures that we are developing learners who ‘see and think like historians.’ At Stanmore Primary School we appreciate our local area and community and incorporate these into our curriculum. Where possible, concepts are taught through memorable experiences and real life contexts. Our school building is 100 years old and is the ideal starting point for our School Days project in Year 1. We are fortunate to be situated near the cathedral city of Winchester. In Year 2 children learn about the connection between the cathedral and coronations in their project Magnificent Monarchs. In Year 4 children learn more about the history of Winchester through the project ‘Invasion.’ Children in Year 3 visit Fishbourne Palace to provide memorable experiences that enhance the classroom teaching.

BEST Values and Keys for Success

We want our children to belong to a community of learners in their classroom and beyond. Therefore, we have carefully constructed a well-planned and sequenced History curriculum. We are striving for academic excellence. We acknowledge the importance of challenging our children academically, encouraging them to bounce back from challenges, have their own voice, organise themselves, work together, and celebrate their achievements. We always value effort and respect.

Inclusion

When planning lessons, we consider learners with SEND. Teachers consider the barriers of the individual children and the key learning of each lesson; identifying the specific new learning. Teachers consider how to:

connect previous learning - are there prior skills or knowledge that learners can build on in this unit of study?
identify key words whose meanings they need to be able to understand in order to be able to engage with the core concepts being taught?
Check learners have a clear understanding of the difference between primary and secondary sources and their purpose in historical interpretations to be able to access the core learning?

If appropriate, we plan for an additional adult in the lesson and share their responsibilities with them in advance.

SMSC and British Values

History at Stanmore Primary School supports spiritual and cultural development by providing opportunities for children to think, reflect, discuss and wonder about the world around them, where we and other societies have come from and their place in the modern world.

In History, children are taught about a range of issues including Britain’s role in the development, perpetuation and abolition of the slave trade. Through our history curriculum we promote British Values. By asking questions about our own history we can better understand the lives of others. Using different forms of enquiry children use their understanding of change and link this to the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups. Our history curriculum supports mutual respect by encouraging children to respect different opinions and values the views of others.

Oracy

At Stanmore we use History Knowledge Organisers to teach subject specific vocabulary, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary. We use a range of approaches to introduce new vocabulary. This includes repeated practice in different contexts, for example paired and group work and retrieval practice. Children are expected to use to use the specific vocabulary taught in their written and spoken language. We encourage children to ask questions and discuss their learning using ‘agree, build challenge’ (ABC) to enable the teacher to build on and extend children’s thinking.

Impact

How is this subject assessed

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the content, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study of the National Curriculum. Teachers make assessments using the science knowledge organiser and through the innovate challenge. Teachers keep track of any children who are not meeting the year group expectations.
Assessment of History is reported to parents in the annual report.

How is this subject monitored

The subject leader is responsible for monitoring the planning, teaching and assessment of the subject. This is triangulated through book looks, pupil conferencing, learning walks and discussions with teachers
Governors carry out regular monitoring visits in school and update the Full Governing Body through Governor Visit reports.

Pupil Voice

“In the old days, they had no school meals and they had to walk home.”
- Year 1

“I didn’t know who was the most powerful monarch but we made blocks (graph) of their actions and I think it was William the Conqueror.”
- Year 2

“We learned about Stone Age art. They used art because they didn’t have language.”
- Year 3

“I knew about Ancient Greece (civilisation) but I didn’t know that it was divided into city states and they had a lot of internal wars.”
- Year 5

The history projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s historical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. Key aspects and concepts, such as chronology, cause and effect, similarity and difference, significance and hierarchy, are revisited throughout all projects and are developed over time. All projects also develop historical skills based on evidence and historical enquiry.

The choice of historical periods follows the guidance set out in the national curriculum, with specific details relating to significant events and individuals chosen to present a rich and diverse account of British and world history.

Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, history projects are sequenced accordingly. For example, the project Dynamic Dynasties is taught alongside the art and design project Taotie to give children a better all-round understanding of ancient Chinese arts and culture.

All history projects are taught in the autumn and summer terms, with opportunities for schools to revisit historical concepts in some of the spring term geography projects.

Key Stage 1

In Year 1, children begin the autumn term by studying the project Childhood. This project builds on children’s past experiences, including their family history and events within living memory, and works well as an introductory project. In the summer term, children study the project School Days. This project enables children to learn the history of their school and compare schooling in the Victorian period.

In the autumn term of Year 2, children extend their studies to explore a broader range of periods in the project Movers and Shakers. This project explores the concept of significance and the significant people that have greatly influenced history. In the summer term, children study the project Magnificent Monarchs. This project introduces children to the challenging concepts of power and monarchy in preparation for more complex historical topics in Key Stage 2.

The projects studied in Key Stage 1 provide numerous opportunities for children to explore significant historical events, people and places in their locality.

Lower Key Stage 2

In Year 3, children begin the autumn term by studying the chronology of British history in the project Through the Ages. This project teaches children about the significance of prehistoric periods and the changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. In the summer term, children continue to develop their knowledge of the chronology of British history in the project Emperors and Empires. This project teaches children about the Roman Empire, its invasion of Britain and Britain’s ensuing Romanisation.

In the autumn term of Year 4, children resume their learning about British history in the project Invasion. This project teaches children about the Roman withdrawal and the invasion and settlement of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. This project concludes at 1066, which meets the guidance from the national curriculum for British history. In the summer term of Year 4, children begin their studies of ancient history by studying the overview project Ancient Civilisations. This project enables children to learn about the achievements of the earliest civilisations, including ancient Sumer, the Indus Valley civilisation and ancient Egypt.

Upper Key Stage 2

In the autumn term of Year 5, children continue to build their knowledge of ancient civilisations with an in-depth analysis of ancient China in the project Dynamic Dynasties. This project enables children to study
the significance and influence of ancient China and its prowess and advancements in the written word, technology and metalwork. In the summer term, children further study ancient and world history in the project Groundbreaking Greeks. This project enables children to explore life in ancient Greece, including examining the achievements and influence of ancient Greece on the western world.

In the autumn term of Year 6, children study the more complex historical issues of enslavement, colonialism and power in the project Maafa. In this project, children explore a range of African kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Benin, and study Britain’s role in the development, perpetuation and abolition of the slave trade. In the summer term of Year 6, children complete their historical studies with the project Britain at War. This project enables children to study the role war has played in Britain’s history since 1066, focusing on the First and Second World Wars as crucial turning points in British history.

Britain at War

This project teaches children about the causes, events and consequences of the First and Second World Wars, the influence of new inventions on warfare, how life in Great Britain was affected and the legacy of the wars in the post-war period.