History

Intent 

History is all around us. We aim to offer a high-quality history education that will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world through igniting children’s curiosity.  Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. Through finding out about how and why the world, our country, culture and local community have developed over time, children will understand how the past influences the present. History enables children to develop a context for their growing sense of identity and a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people locally, nationally and globally.  What they learn through history can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values. As a school where we all strive to be our best, we believe that all learning should be adapted to the needs of all children (SEN, EAL, more able, disadvantaged) and that the curriculum should be carefully planned to take account of everyone in the class so that we can all ‘Do something beautiful for God, each and every day’.

We feel it is important for the subject to be taught discretely as well as incorporated within other subjects as this allows opportunities for cross curricular links to be made to ensure the children have many occasions where by they can apply their knowledge and understanding in a deeper manner.

Implementation

 Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision, which aims to enable all children to flourish to become the very best version of themselves during their time at St Anthony’s.  

History lessons focus on developing historical skills and knowledge, with children working as historians. We intend for our children to have real life experiences and learn about history in an active and creative way. The planning of learning begins with the skills and knowledge that need to be taught and then enrichment activities and opportunities to apply learning are carefully mapped into the annual plan for each year group.

History is taught throughout the year, so that children achieve depth in their learning.

• The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.
• In KS1, the Historical skills will focus on the world around them and their living memory of History before moving to events that go beyond living history. This will ensure a firm foundation for KS2 History.
• In KS2, the History curriculum is set out in chronological order to allow children to reference the previous events in time and to refer to this prior learning year-on-year.

As a school where we all strive to be our best, we believe that all learning should be adapted to the needs of all children (SEN, EAL, more able, disadvantaged) and that the curriculum should be carefully planned to take account of everyone in the class so that we can all ‘Do something beautiful for God, each and every day'. As a result, across the school, teachers have identified and mapped the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group as well as Key Stages and the school as a whole. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression and membership to national agencies such as The Historical Association. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year-by-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. 

It is important that the children develop progressive skills of a historian throughout their time at St Anthony’s Clayton and do not just learn a series of facts about the past. In History, pupils find evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions. To do this successfully, as historians, they need to be able to research, interpret evidence, including primary and secondary sources, and have the necessary skills to argue for their point of view; skills that will help them in their adult life.

Impact  

Outcomes in History books, and the books of other subjects, evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge and the progression of skills. Regular visitors and enrichment opportunities provide further relevant and contextual learning, whilst engaging members of the wider community in children’s learning provides positive role models for children to learn from.

By the time the children at St Anthony’s leave our school:

• Children will have a secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered.
• Children are able to retain prior learning and explicitly make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning.
• Children will have a passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
• Children will be increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in. They will also have a further understanding of History on a local level.
• Children will become increasingly critical and analytical within their thinking. Making informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past by fostering the ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• Children will have a desire to embrace challenging activities, developing enquiry skills to pursue their own interests within a topic and further questioning.
• In all year groups, children will have participated in high-quality enrichment activities to further appreciate the impact of History.

 Please click here to see the progression of vocabulary for history through the school.

Please click here to see the progression of knowledge for history. 

Please click here to see how the progression of history skills is planned for.

Please click here to see a Medium term planning example for a unit in History.

 Annual Overview