Emscote Infant School
and
All Saints' C of E Junior School
History
Curriculum Statement - History
Intent
At All Saints’, we are passionate about the teaching of history. We understand that studying history gives children the opportunity to develop an understanding of why the world and its people are the way they are today, looking at the impact of past events. Additionally, it prompts children to think critically and ask perceptive questions as they explore the diversity of human experience, past lives and societies. We teach children to question the reliability of sources, encouraging them to be independent thinkers. We aim to not only equip children with these vital skills, but also to help them gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Local history is also important to us and our curriculum has been carefully crafted to ensure children can experience and evaluate parts of the rich history of Warwick. At All Saints’ the teaching of History is underpinned by our Christian Vision: Working Together, Valuing Everyone, Learning for Life; we understand that children will be much better helped to develop as citizens with a respect for diversity, and tolerance for others' attitudes and beliefs, if they are also encouraged to understand and respect societies different from their own in time as well as place.
To help children know more and remember more, we have chosen three ‘Golden threads’ which are woven throughout our History curriculum. As a child progresses through KS2, they will learn a little more about the concept each time they come across it, slowly building a coherent understanding of the concept throughout history.
Our ‘golden threads’ are chosen to link our chosen periods of history, along with our church school status. They are:
· Religion / beliefs (including Church)
· Power (& imbalances of power) - leaders, seeking power, invasion, war, slavery, etc
· Migration/ Invasion (including trade)
Implementation
History is taught in half-termly topics, alternating with Geography throughout the year. Through their work in History, children will develop a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece and Egypt. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills for each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school. Consideration is also given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. Cross-curricular outcomes in History are specifically planned for, where appropriate. The local area is utilised and teachers plan for opportunities to learn outside the classroom through trips and visiting experts to enhance the history curriculum. Questioning and regular “low-stakes” quizzes (retrieval practice) are used to promote long-term learning.
Impact
Outcomes in History books evidence a broad and balanced History curriculum. As children progress through the school, they acquire identified key knowledge and skills. At the end of each year, children achieve age related expectations in Geography and retain the knowledge and skills learnt from each unit. By the end of Y6, children will have enjoyed learning about History and will be prepared for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world. Furthermore, we aim to equip children with skills and values that can be applied more universally, such as critical thinking and tolerance for others. We want the children's enthusiasm for the subject to encourage them to seek further opportunities to develop their skills and understanding in the future.
To help them consider this question the children went on 2 trips:
They walked around the area local to our school noticing the style of houses and noticed that the houses built during the Victorian era were strikingly different to other houses that had been built later. The Victorian houses had sash style windows, were terraced or semi-detached, they had chimneys and had decorative brickwork and ornate carvings. The children noticed that they did not have garages, as cars were not around during that era. They also visited the site of the original All Saints' school - now the contact centre.
They also went to the Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa and saw what impact and changes happened to the town during the Victorian era. They thought about what attracted people to the town and what changes needed to be made to accommodate and entertain the growing population.
