History at Evelyn CP School

Intent

At Evelyn we aim for a high quality history curriculum which should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our Curriculum provides children with the opportunity to develop the appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the National Curriculum History programme of Study.

Topics are informed by the national curriculum and are sensitive to children’s interests, as well as the context of the local area and building a chronological narrative throughout Key Stage 2. We aim to provide an stimulating and varied curriculum that interests and intrigues our children while meeting the needs of all backgrounds, cultures and abilities.

From EYFS up to KS2, the children will be taught about various historical events and time periods, where they have taken place within a historical timeline and famous historical figures, many of which have shaped the world today.

Implementation

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in history, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. History is taught as part of a half year topic, so that children can focus on developing their knowledge and skills in depth. We use progression matrices to ensure there is a clear progression of skills, knowledge and vocabulary throughout school. Medium term planning for all units maps out how children are to develop understanding of key historical concepts: chronological understanding, continuity and change, similarity and difference; cause and consequence, historical significance, sources and evidence and historical interpretation. Additionally, substantive concepts such as trade, empire and invasion are regularly encountered across the curriculum to develop understanding. In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to link learning back to previous topics as well as previous lessons. Where appropriate we use historical artefacts, visitors, workshops and visits to excite and intrigue our children to find out more about events and people from the past.

The Early Years Foundation Stage supports children’s understanding of History through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World’. This aspect is about how children find out about past and present events in their own lives, their families and other people they know. Children are encouraged to develop a sense of change over time and are given opportunities to differentiate between past and present by observing routines throughout the day, growing plants, observing real life cycles of animals and the passing of seasons and looking at photographs of their own life and of others. Use of language relating to time is used in daily routines and conversations with children.

Our history champion, Mrs Formby, carries out activities with each class. These are practical and experiential in order to enhance the learning already taking place in class, be it through role play, art or cooking. Through this children gain understanding of what it was like to be around in a particular period of history. Each classroom also has an Enhanced Provision area, set up with tasks for the children to complete in order to enhance and extend their knowledge and skills.

History is also covered in our Global and Mamma Mia sessions, in which children broaden their knowledge of history beyond the national curriculum requirements. Examples include studying local history, learning about events that are significant nationally or globally and are commemorated through festivals or anniversaries and visiting local museums.

Impact

The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children are equipped with historical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the next key stage and for later life as an adult in the wider world. We want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about history, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future. Through pupil voice and their work, children will be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired. Children will be engaged in history lessons and want to find out more. As historians, children will learn lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their lives in the future.

We use both formative and summaries assessment in history. Staff use formative assessment to inform their short-term planning and short-term interventions. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils, including the more able. All foundation subjects are assessed at the end of each year stating whether children are either working towards, at or exceeding age-related expectations. This is then used to make sure all children are continuing to make progress and any children whose levels drop, or increase can be addressed accordingly. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are assessed within the Understanding the World: Past and Present area of learning and their progress is tracked using the terms ‘On Track’ or ‘Not on Track’.  Monitoring in history includes: book scrutinies, lesson observations and/or learning walks, pupil and/or staff voice. All of this information is gathered, reviewed, used to inform further curriculum developments and provision is adapted accordingly.

“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”

Theodore Roosevelt