Vision

At Edleston Primary we believe that History makes a valuable and distinctive contribution to     pupils’ education developing better informed, tolerant, and respectful young people. Learning about the past and the methods used to study sources and draw conclusions helps pupils understand and contribute to the world in which they live. We aim to build a sense of chronology from the earliest times to the present day.

Intent

Our curriculum aims to:

• develop enquiry skills to pursue their own interests within a topic and further question the events of the past. 
• help pupils develop a sense of identity through learning about their family, the development of their community, Britain, Europe, and the world.
• develop a range of skills necessary for historical enquiry and interpretation.
• arouse an interest in the past and an appreciation of how historical events have shaped their own community, locality, and the rest of the world that they currently live in. 
• acquire a chronological structure and language in order to provide a framework for understanding the past.
• understand the difference between the past and present and that people of other    times and places may have held different values and attitudes from ours.
• begin to understand the concepts of ‘past’ and ‘future.’
• for children to be introduced to the particular language of historical periods and to a range of historical concepts appropriate to their level of study.
• to develop a knowledge and understanding of the links between history and other subjects within the curriculum and cross-curricular elements.
• to understand that evidence from the past can be interpreted in different ways.

Implementation

The teaching of History is organised through termly or half-termly units. Content shows a balanced coverage and an enquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. Across each Key Stage, planning provides pupils with a variety of experiences both in and out of the classroom where appropriate to create memorable learning opportunities, foster curiosity, and enthusiasm for history, and to further support and develop their understanding.

Early Years Foundation Stage

This is the earliest opportunity to introduce pupils to the vocabulary of History. History is taught through Understanding of the World. Children will look at similarities and differences between ‘now’ and ‘then’ and find out how aspects of life were different for their Grandparents. They will listen to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes, and poems to foster their understanding of our diverse world, which has changed over time.

Key Stage 1

During Key Stage 1, pupils will learn about people’s lives and lifestyles. They will find out about significant men, women, children, and events from the recent and more distant past, including those from the local area, Britain, and the wider world. They will listen and respond to stories and use sources of information to help them ask and answer questions. They will learn how the past is different from the present. Pupils will develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They will learn where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They will ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They will understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They will note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They will regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They will construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They will understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

Impact

Our history curriculum ensures that children draw their own conclusions about the past, based on evidence, imagination and questioning and present their ideas in a variety of forms, including drama, poetry and display and sustained writing in different forms. Children develop and embed knowledge of historical events, an 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 high quality learning in the classroom, but also through a varied and well-sequenced selection of educational visits and visitors.

Flashback 4 within lessons provides evidence of pupil knowledge retention from within the current unit of work, the latest unit and the past year.

Pupils are able to talk with confidence and enthusiasm about their learning in history using subject specific vocabulary, making links and comparisons between periods of time and how they have shaped their lives today and will impact on the future. Pupil voice shows that many pupils enjoy history and are able to recall their learning over time.