History

Intent

At Goldfield, we strive for all our children to be curious about the past and the lives of the generations who lived before them as well as events in their own lives. Our curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity about Britain’s past and that of the wider world through an enquiry and topic based approach and by giving the children hands on experiences wherever possible. Our history curriculum is intended to help pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. We want history to enrich other areas of the curriculum, SMSC and British Values.

Implement

We want our pupils to develop the skills of enquiry by asking and answering questions about the past, investigation, analysis, evaluation and presentation.

The curriculum ambitions in Nursery and Reception inform the teaching of History in EYFS, focusing on events that have happened in their own lives and comparing them to others. The children have the opportunity to talk about significant events in their own lives through sharing their Focus Child photographs. In Key Stage One, the children are taught through topics and have ‘wow’ days such as Castles Day in Year 2. To support our teaching of History, we use KAPOW scheme of learning, and adapt in places to suit our school e.g. making links to local history. Timelines are evident throughout the school to show changes in both the children’s own lives and significant events in History. These are through learning journeys for the class, the whole school, children as individuals as well as significant events from the past. Key knowledge, skills and vocabulary for History have been mapped across EYFS and KS1 to ensure progression between year groups. As children move through the school they revisit concepts with increasing levels of depth. Lessons are designed to be varied, engaging and hands-on, allowing children to experience the different aspects of an historical enquiry.

Impact

The outcomes of the broad teaching of History across the school is seen in the children’s learning journals, their History books and through various displays that showcase their work throughout the year.

The impact of the History curriculum is monitored throughout the year through assessment opportunities including:

· End of topic teacher assessments

· Subject Leader monitoring – learning walks, book looks and lesson observations

· Staff meetings to discuss curriculum and children’s learning

· Pupil voice

· Teacher voice – staff meetings, INSETS

At Goldfield we envisage the curriculum impacting the children in the following ways. They will:

· Start to know and understand the history of Britain and Tring and changes that have happened throughout the past.

· Begin to develop an understanding of the history of the wider world.

· Begin to form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.

Have an appreciation for some significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.

· Understand how historians learn about the past

· Ask historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach

· Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.

· Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.

· To think about the future and where they will be heading next beyond Goldfield.

· Meet the relevant Early Learning Goals at the end of EYFS (Reception) and the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for History at the end of Key Stage 1.