History

Curriculum Design at St. Wilfrid’s Church of England Primary Academy

Curriculum Area: History

History Primary Leaders: Mrs. Melling and Mrs. Horton

History Supporting Leader: Mrs. Prentki

Curriculum Link Governor: Mrs. Smith

Intent

Our History curriculum aims to inspire curiosity and fascination about the past in Britain and the wider world, whilst developing coherent chronological knowledge and an enquiring mind. Our teaching of chronology, helps to develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding, based on their historical heritage. This enables our children to learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multi-cultural Britain. We aim to provide the children with a rich and diverse history curriculum, equipping them with a coherent knowledge and understanding.

Our intention is to encourage children to think critically, ask questions, think and act as historians and evaluate evidence, which allows them to develop a broad understanding of the complexity of people’s lives and historic events. We aim for children to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, be able to communicate historically, whilst encompassing the British Values throughout. Local history is threaded throughout our history curriculum and we want our children to develop an appreciation for the people and events that are part of our local, national and international history.

Implementation

In History, we implement an inclusive curriculum that meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum whilst inspiring a love of the past.  Our curriculum is well-planned and structured, provides literacy-rich, cross-curricular opportunities and ensures progression and depth in learning.

Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills for each unit and consideration has been given to ensure progression across the topics throughout each year group across the school

Across Key Stage 1, children begin to develop an awareness of the past using historical vocabulary. They study people and events and begin to identify similarities and differences between different time periods. Children learn some of the ways in which we find out about the past and how events studied fit into the chronological framework.

Within Key Stage 2, children build on prior knowledge and continue to develop chronologically secure knowledge of British, local and world history. Children learn to develop historically valid questions, identifying contrasts and trends over time, and make connections. Children also learn how our knowledge of the past is constructed through a range of sources.

A series of stimulating lessons are planned, with clear knowledge and skills-based learning objectives and subject-specific vocabulary. Teachers assess learning in history against knowledge and skills-based learning objectives within unit overviews. Enrichment opportunities, such as inspirational visits, educational visits and events, provide our children with rich experiences and enhance teaching, learning and knowledge. For example, Astley Hall (Tudors), Ribchester (Romans) and WW2 veterans and workshop.

All learning will start by revisiting prior knowledge. This will be scaffolded to support children to recall previous learning and make connections. Staff will model explicitly the subject-specific vocabulary, knowledge and skills relevant to the learning to allow them to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts.

Learning will be supported through the use of knowledge organisers that provide children with scaffolding that supports them to retain new facts and vocabulary in their long-term memory. Knowledge organisers are used for pre-teaching, to support home learning and also for topic reviews.

Our historians will be given a variety of enrichment and experiences both in and out of the classroom where appropriate to create memorable learning opportunities and to further support and develop their understanding.

Our History curriculum promotes children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development, ensuring that they are reflective and responsible citizens. Fundamental British Values are actively promoted in History lessons in order to prepare the children for life in Modern Britain.

Impact

Our history curriculum is high quality and ensures that children have a strong knowledge of historical events, a coherent understanding of chronology and an appreciation of the impact that history has on the modern world. Our children enjoy and love learning about history by gaining knowledge and skills, not just through learning in the classroom, but also through educational visits and visitors.

Our children are confident and able to talk about what they have learnt in history using subject specific vocabulary and are able to recall their learning over time.

Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, our children become passionate historians, who are inspired by the subject, are curious to find out more about the past and have a love of history that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Files to Download

We would love to hear from you
St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary Academy
Rectory Lane, Standish, Wigan, WN6 0XB

Student Login

STAFF LOGIN
PARENT LOGIN
SCHOOL BLOGS