History

Intent

History teaching at Sidlesham Primary School aims to teach a set of core ideas that will enable all students to experience a personal sense of awe and wonder when describing and explaining the world around them and its history. We aim to instil an excitement for history, which inspires a curiosity to learn more about the past.

At Sidlesham, children will be given an understanding of the world around them whilst substantive knowledge is chronological, aligned to the National Curriculum, and prepares children for Key Stage 3. Disciplinary knowledge is taught alongside substantive knowledge and is revisited and developed across KS1 and KS2. Using and interpreting sources and evidence is embedded in all units across the school.

The history curriculum delivers a coherent and chronological substantive knowledge of the history of Britain and the wider world, selected to build children’s understanding of four themes.

This provides a consistent context that allows children to situate new knowledge in their wider historical understanding, as well as build a deep awareness of abstract concepts.

At Sidlesham, we provide opportunities for all children to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, but also to be taken beyond their own experiences. The history curriculum teaches children about civilizations from across the world, and always incorporates the experiences of different groups of people in the history of Britain. All children are encouraged to use their core disciplinary knowledge to approach challenging, historically valid questions.

Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Concepts taught should be reinforced by focusing on the key features of enquiry, so that children learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant questions.

Curriculum Aims

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.
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.

Implementation

The National Curriculum is taught in KS1 and KS 2
In Early Years the Foundation Stage Curriculum is taught.
Long term plans are used to ensure coverage.
Long term plans are broken down into units of work, and phases which are taught using grammarsaurus units of work which we have adapted to fit in with our three year cycles.

How is this subject taught?

History and Geography are taught in alternate half terms.
Lessons include the use of a range of sources of information to support learning.

Impact

How is this subject assessed and monitored?

Foundation Stage levels are reported in EYFS
All units start with a knowledge organiser and end with a summative assessment.
We assess the impact of our history curriculum through pupil interviews, learning walks and book looks.
Learning walks and book looks ensure rigor of our intended curriculum.

Children will:

Be able to speak with knowledge and enthusiasm about the different periods of history studied.
Know and use key vocabulary linked to units of learning.
Know how to look for evidence from a range of sources and use it to answer questions about the past.
Be able to use timelines to explain their understanding of chronology.
Be able to think critically, forming their own opinions and interpretation of different historical events.
Have an understanding of how past events have shaped the present day.

History

Intent

Curriculum Aims

Implementation

Impact

History Overview

Historical Progression

Vocabulary Progression

History Knowledge Organisers