History Curriculum Statement
Intent:
History is an integral part of all our lives. It helps us to understand the wider world, the experiences people have had before us and the events that have influenced our current society. At Pearl Hyde, we intend to develop a historical curiosity within our pupils by encouraging them to openly question and review a range of sources in order to establish their own opinions while respecting the opinions of others. Children are always encouraged to conduct their own research in order to answer any questions they may have.
We encourage children to develop an appreciation of the past, especially within the context of Coventry, a city steeped in culture and history. We instil this appreciation by understanding the lives and points of view of those who have experienced these events first-hand. On top of this, we understand that the development of individual opinions as well as appropriate communication, are pivotal skills for young historians. We aim to provide children with a safe space to present information to others, discuss facts and opinions eloquently and understand contradicting points of view.
Implementation:
Coverage of the national curriculum is ensured through clear planning routeways that give opportunities for cross-curricular education. This is supported by a clear skills progression that is organised into overarching skills including; chronological understanding; historical knowledge; historical enquiry; organisation and communication; and interpretations of history. On top of this, topics are blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge of each topic in-depth. This means that each period within history is studied in detail, allowing children to truly understand what life was like for the people of these times.
In order to support the use of subject-specific vocabulary, tier three vocabulary will be considered at the planning stage and displayed throughout a historical topic to support children in their use of these words. Their meanings will be explicitly taught and continuously revisited as they become relevant to the unit.
History is taught using drama, artefacts, images and videos to give children physical and visual experiences that support all children’s understanding of the past, reducing barriers to access. On top of this, knowledge organisers, vocabulary lists and visual representations are used to scaffold writing opportunities. We believe that having a variety of experiences and having the ability to physically interact with elements of history is integral to children’s historical curiosity and understanding. Therefore, we plan a range of activities both inside our school context and externally, through school trips.
Assessment of history is a continuous process that mainly consists of formative assessment within lesson time and through plenaries. At the end of each topic, children are able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding by presenting what they have learned at the end of a topic, in a variety of ways. This allows children to demonstrate all skills shown in our skills progression and they can then be appropriately assessed by teachers.
Impact:
By the time pupils leave Pearl Hyde Primary, we expect that they should have developed a range of skills including:
