History Curriculum Intent

“If you know your History, then you would know where you’re coming from.”

Bob Marley

At All Saints School, our History curriculum helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It inspires children’s curiosity and encourages critical thinking about the past. Through the analysis of evidence and evaluation of a range of sources, pupils will ask questions about the past, and consider how human mistakes, experiences and achievements have shaped their locality, their world and impacted the way they live today. Pupils learn 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. Our History Curriculum will immerse pupils in historical study through high-quality teaching, analysing primary and secondary sources of evidence, inspirational trips and knowledgeable visitors. This is intended to ensure learning is more meaningful, and pupils’ ability to make links and draw comparisons with and between previous learning is strengthened. As a result, pupils develop an understanding of chronology, links between historical events, and cause and effect.

Our History curriculum is taught as part of termly projects which usually start with the introduction of a big idea or question which will develop the children’s curiosity whilst drawing on prior knowledge, skills and understanding. Through our carefully planned curriculum progression, children will examine their own personal history and develop their sense of chronology throughout the study of projects through EYFS, Key Stages 1 and 2. Sequences of lessons start with pupils learning and understanding key facts and concepts, then moving on to develop and apply their understanding.  This approach ensures that pupils are challenged to move beyond the learning of facts to using their knowledge in more sophisticated ways. Teachers ensure that the key themes of democracy (including monarchy and parliament), equality and inequality, empire and invasion, war and conflict and civilisation and settlement are revisited as these concepts are essential for pupils to understand in order for them to grasp the bigger recurring themes and issues which run throughout history. In addition to these concepts, we aim to ensure children develop a range of skills essential to them in the study of History. These fall into three broad groups:

• Chronological understanding:

• Historical perspective (difference between short- and long-term timescales)
• Relationships between different periods of time.

• Interpreting knowledge:

• Making connections
• Comparing and contrasting, and identifying what is the same and what is different
• Determining significance

• Historical enquiry

• Using and evaluating evidence
• Asking historically valid questions
• Creating own accounts

Our History curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that children’s prior knowledge and understanding is revisited and built upon. For example, when developing a child’s chronological understanding across the school. In Year 1, children will order photographs of themselves from the past and present on a timeline. Also, they will sequence events from The great fire of London on a timeline. In Year 3, they will sequence dates and information from several historical periods, i.e., Stone Age, Bronze and Iron Age.  This is then developed further in Year 6 where they articulate and present a clear, chronological world history narrative within and across historical periods studied, e.g., a timeline of significant events of WW2.

How can I support my child with History?

1. Look at events beyond their living memory

Talk to grandparents about their childhood and compare this with their own experiences, e.g., toys, cooking, school

2. Research the local area

You could go for a walk to the Victorian houses and compare them with the houses in the Ladygrove estate. This would support the Year 2 ‘Street Detectives’ and Year 5 ‘Victorians’ projects. Children could also visit the Didcot Railway Centre and consider why the railway was so important to the growth of Dudcote village to present day Didcot, the buzzing commuter town of today?

3. Piece together why things have happened

Look at Didcot in the past e.g. photographs, old maps, newspapers, census. Discuss how it has changed

4. Discuss and explore History Together

We are extremely lucky to have local museums that you could visit with your child. Encourage them to talk about what they found out.

• Ashmolean Museum has several exhibitions – These would support Year 3 ‘Age of Stone’, Year 4 ‘I Am Warrior’, ‘Traders and Raiders’ and Year 5 ‘Pharaohs’ projects.
• Oxford Castle-This would support the Year 2 ‘Magnificent Monarchs’ project.
• Pitt Rivers Museum – This would support Year 3 ‘Age of Stone’ project.