History

Intent

At Frithwood Primary school, it is our intent that the History curriculum will ignite the children’s curiosity about the past of Great Britain and the wider world, in order to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding. Teaching of History at Frithwood Primary School inspires the children to ask perceptive questions, think critically and develop their own opinions based on evidence. A knowledge of History helps children to understand the present, through the complexity of people’s lives and the process of change. History is also important in helping children to develop their own sense of identity within a social, cultural, political and economic background, as well as the challenges of our times. Our History curriculum is inclusive and relevant to the different backgrounds of the children at Frithwood Primary school.

Implementation

History at Frithwood Primary school is taught through a combination of classwork and field work which follows a clear progression of skills and knowledge. Topic lessons with a History or Geography focus are taught for one hour each week. The following historical skills are build upon year on year to ensure maximum learning opportunity for the children:

• chronological understanding
• historical enquiry
• interpretations of History
• organisation/communication skills in History

As the children progress through their historical studies, they build on their depth of historical knowledge and reflect on their previous learning, putting it in to a new context. In EYFS, children will begin to develop their understanding of the world around them via their integrated Early Learning Goals (ELGs), which will be woven into their daily learning opportunities and environment. Lessons across the school are planned to encourage higher order thinking and effective questioning is a key feature of lessons.

Impact

The impact of History teaching at Frithwood Primary school can be measured in a variety of ways. It is evident from speaking with pupils across the school that they are excited and curious about History. By the time children leave Frithwood Primary school, they will have developed:

• A passion for History and an enthusiastic engagement in their learning.
• An extensive historical vocabulary of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’ and ‘parliament’.
• A deep understanding of the chronology of key events in British and world history.
• An understanding of the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used to make historical claims, and how and why historical interpretations of the past have been constructed.