History
Intent
At Fir Bank Primary School, we are becoming HISTORIANS! We want our children to love history. We want them to grow up curious about the world around them both past and present.
Our aim is that, through the teaching of History, we stimulate all children’s interest and understanding about the life of people who lived in the past. We teach children a sense of chronology, in order to develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. This enables our children to learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern, multicultural Britain.
We aim to make all children aware of the actions of important people in history and enable children to know about significant events in British history, whilst appreciating how things have changed over time. Furthermore, our children will learn about aspects of local, British and Ancient history. This wider awareness leads to the children having some knowledge of historical development in the wider world. Black History month is celebrated through whole school assemblies.
Implementation
- At Fir Bank, History is taught in every year group, in half termly topics of which year 1-5 have 3 per year.
- Topics are blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth.
- We have developed a progression of skills with each year group, which enables pupils to build on and develop their skills each year.
- In KS1, History begins by looking at the children’s own personal history and introduces them to the idea of chronology and timelines.
- In KS1, History will look at significant events and people who have shaped society, locally and nationally.
- In KS2, we start with a series of Ancient History studies before looking at a range of local and global historical periods.
- When a history topic is being taught, each classroom has a display which shares the children’s previous connected learning to their current, and subsequent learning, creating a thread of knowledge.
- At the start of each topic children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.
- Children are given opportunities, where possible, to study artefacts leading to enquiry, investigation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and presentation.
- We plan for effective use of educational visits and visitors, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experience and the History curriculum.
- Through using a range of assessment tools, differentiation is facilitated by teachers, to ensure that each pupil can access the History curriculum.
- Pupils are regularly given the opportunity for Self or Peer Assessment, which will then be used to inform planning, preparation, differentiation and address misconceptions within that lesson, or for the next lesson.
Impact
The impact of this curriculum design will lead to outstanding progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave Fir Bank reaching at least age-related expectations for History. Our History curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic history learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice and their work.
Learning walks and professional dialogue with teachers.
- Accessing children’s understanding of vocabulary before and after the ‘knowledge and skills’ have been taught.
- Moderation is carried out by History Lead:
- Pupil voice – interviews with children about their learning.
- Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books/ class floor books are scrutinised and there is an opportunity for dialogue between teachers and to discuss the learning and teaching in their class.
- To support teaching, staff access a range of resources and planning including History Association,
- Images and videos of the children’s practical learning (books/ class floor book/displays)
OUR SOCIAL WALL