Intent
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey
We study history to give pupils understanding about the past, so that they can better understand the present and have a positive impact in the future. Through our coherent history curriculum provision, children develop the key skills of chronology to understand scale, historical enquiry using sources and continuity and change to identify similarities and differences. We encourage them to be curious, make connections, question and analyse, and think about motives and develop critical thinking skills, so they can start to see the difference between ‘fact’ and subjectivity.
The aim of teaching History in our school is:
- To develop a love of the history of the world we live in and appreciate the different events that led society to where it is now.
- To develop the courage to question and discuss the motives of the past and share opinions with others.
- To give and instil hope that the events of the past can be learned from. Knowing that human progress is about learning from the actions of others and making positive changes for the future.
Implementation
At St Luke’s, the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum is the core of our History curriculum.
Our curriculum is designed upon a base of skills and knowledge that we want the children to learn. This is broken into substantive knowledge (facts and concepts) and disciplinary knowledge (how historians operate). Key knowledge mapped out across the school in a progressive manner, ensuring that knowledge is brought together t o give a coherent understanding of historical periods. Throughout the curriculum, local, national and international history is taught. Teachers plans lessons from medium term planning documents, taken from the long term progression document.
History lessons at St Luke’s will:
- begin with a recap on the core objectives learned previously and where necessary refer back to a visual timeline to ensure the children understand when events took place in history.
- discuss historical facts that form a narrative of the curriculum and how key events are vital when piecing together the history of the world.
- allow children the time to engage with the topic through a variety approaches including discussion, questioning, analysing, sharing opinions and through their creativity.
- have high expectations on both the teacher’s and children’s use of historical vocabulary and answering in full sentences to ensure children can make links with historical events and how they have impacted the world we live in today.
Additional opportunities, including trips and visitors, are used to bring history to life for our learners.