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.’

(National Curriculum, 2014)

 

 

Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement

 

INTENT

At Dogmersfield Primary School we strive to ignite children’s curiosity of the world and its people, aiming to spark interest to explore and understand the diversity of the wider world we live in.

We teach to the National Curriculum expectations, but also use history as a way for the children to better understand the society and culture they live in by seeing how it has evolved and developed into the rich and diverse place it is today while contrasting and comparing this with other historical societies.

We want children to appreciate that history is an interdisciplinary subject that both builds up and is strengthened by understanding of other subjects, especially geography, literacy and the arts.

History is not just about knowing and retaining facts and dates but about the development of key life skills such as identifying bias, drawing balanced conclusions from either limited or conflicting information and being able to use evidence in order to support or refute claims. We want all children to achieve within history and to develop these skills which are essential to navigating and thriving in their lives.

  

IMPLEMENTATION

In EYFS, activities are planned throughout the year to target the early learning goals. Children will know some similarities between things in the past and present and can talk about their lives and people around them. They will draw on their own experiences and read stories. They will gain an understanding of the past through these stories.

Through the framework of the 2014 National Curriculum, history taught at Dogmersfield CoE (Aided) Primary School, aims to ensure that all children:

• 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’
• 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 History – key stages 1 and 2
• 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.

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 so the children 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.

The residential trip in Year 3 and Year 4 has a historical aspect once within a two year rotation. A variety of trips to different environments (The Globe, Houses of Parliament, local houses) and the development of our outdoor education across the school and locally supports development of history skills, enhancing the learning of our pupils. History is taught through a topic based approach enhanced by our local area.

 

IMPACT

Formative assessment in history takes place during each lesson. Oral feedback is provided to pupils as well as written feedback, related to the learning intention and success criteria. Misconceptions are addressed and staff use the next lesson to ensure that pupils have the opportunity to work through their misconceptions and continue to apply the skills learnt.

Our pupils will have a secure understanding of chronology, being able to make links and connections between significant people of history, events and time periods. Using historical studies, our children will develop the necessary skills of curiosity, inquisitiveness and critical thinking to give justified opinions and to reach logical conclusions. Interaction and collaborative learning are at the centre of this process to produce citizens ready for a democratic society in which they feel confident and prepared.

Through history, links are made with citizenship to develop an understanding and appreciation of their identity and cultural background, whilst building tolerance and patience towards other cultures in our multi-cultural society. Local history studies support the children in understanding how and why their local areas have altered, as well as the benefits or disadvantages of this.

 

‘There are so many times and places in history in our world that I just don’t know anything about, and when I learn about them they’re always fascinating.’

Andrew Stanton

 

 

Curriculum Overview

 

curriculum overview history.pdf