History

Our History Subject Leadership shared

Intent

At West Coker Primary School, we aim for our teaching of history to help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and of the wider world. We aim for it to inspire pupils’ curiosity about the past and the desire to know more about it. We aim to enable children to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.

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.  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.

Implementation

History is sometimes used as a topic focus for the term (as is Geography) but we also aim to ensure that, were possible, it is integrated into other areas of the curriculum and the basic skills are taught throughout the year through cross-curricular work.

Topics are allocated on rolling programme for each key stage, and key skills are incorporated into each topic to ensure that all key skills are covered to enable children to make progression in these areas as they move up through the school.

Statutory topics from the National Curriculum are allocated chronologically within each year, so that children have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. Children are also taught world history, such as learning about ancient civilisations of Maya and Greece. Further themes have been selected to ensure that children will learn and make progression in key skills for history within the context of our school.

Knowledge organisers are provided for each child at the beginning of each topic to support them in learning new facts and vocabulary. Where possible, cross-curricular links will be made, for example, texts relating to the theme being studied may be selected for Guided Reading sessions and also for writing in English. School trips and visitors will also enhance the learning experience. 

Impact

Our History Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. At the end of each topic there will be a ‘quiz’ to ascertain whether the children have gathered and retained new knowledge. Assessment will be made through ‘quiz’ results and through a scrutiny of each child’s work in their topic and English books.