At Adderley, the History curriculum aims to stimulate pupils’ interest and curiosity about their surroundings and the history of Britain and the wider world to increase their knowledge and understanding of the changing world. Children will think about how the past has influenced the present and foster a sense of identity in their own community and the world. The teaching develops pupils’ historical knowledge and historical thinking and, as a result, it enables them to show their historical understanding. Children are able to use their historical thinking to investigate, consider, reflect and review events of the past. Through this, children will have a deep understanding of historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and will use them to make connections and draw contrasts of historical events.
At Adderley Primary School we shape our curriculum to ensure it is fully inclusive to every child. Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for History; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum that encompasses the British Values throughout; ensuring the progressive development of historical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to study life in the past.
Intent
We believe that high-quality History lessons inspire children to want to know more about the past and to think and act as historians. By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world, and to be able to communicate historically.
We develop children with the following essential characteristics to help them become historians:
- An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including significant events in Britain’s past.
- The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently to a range of audiences.
- The ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources.
- The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past by formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
- A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their learning.
- A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics
- A developing sense of curiosity about the past and how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
Implementation
The curriculum at Adderley makes full use resources within the immediate and wider local area enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality. Topics are informed by the National Curriculum and are sensitive to children’s interests, as well as the context of the local area. The curriculum is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy. In line with the National Curriculum, the curriculum at ensures that all pupils:
- Gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world which helps to stimulate pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.
- Are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.
- Begin to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
History at Adderley intends to prepare each child for their next phase of education whilst at the same time giving all children a broad and balanced view of the History of Britain and other societies and periods. In this, children will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and its events, with intention to improve every students’ cultural capital, understanding of the world around them and their own heritage. History at Adderley aims to be ambitious, and motivating. Ambitious in our coverage of History and through teaching of Historical skills. Motivating, through engaging activities, trips and memorable experience days that give all students an opportunity to question the past. Through this, children:
- Become increasingly critical and analytical thinkers.
- Possess a secure understanding of the chronology of the British Isles and other import periods of History.
- Are able to discover links and connections to the History they learn and the wider community and locality.
- Further their knowledge and explanations of change and continuity over time with regards to the history of the British Isles and other societies and periods.
- Differentiate between source types and explain how interpretations in History may differ.
- Draw on similarities and differences within given time frames and across previously taught History.