History Curriculum
Intent:
At Appletree Gardens First School, our history curriculum inspires our children’s interest, curiosity and understanding about the past. History is about real people who lived, and real events which happened in the past therefore we aim to bring history alive by providing opportunities for children to learn through exciting topics, real life experiences and educational trips.
Throughout their Appletree journey, our children will:
- Build on their historical knowledge
- Think critically
- 'Have a voice' by asking and sharing perceptive questions
- Explore and analyse evidence
- Develop perspective and judgement
- Deepen their learning by making connections
We aim:
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To provide knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including significant events in Britain’s past.
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To develop a sense of chronology and understand how they fit into the framework of the past, present and future.
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To understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies, and relationships between different groups of people
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To think as historians and evaluate and challenge their own ideas and other’s views to support their explanations and judgements
Implementation:
At Appletree Garden First School, history is embedded in our topic-based approach to learning. We maintain strong links to the National Curriculum to ensure all aspects, knowledge and skills of history are being taught across all the year groups. As teachers, we plan sequences of lessons between year groups, to ensure we build on and develop children’s knowledge and skills throughout the school. Educational trips are a key part of our history curriculum, we also encourage visitors into school to share learning and provide hands on experience for our children. Furthermore, children have access to a variety of artefacts, books, photographs, internet and videos to enable all learners to reach their potential.
Early Years - Our children are given the opportunity to find out about past and present events in their own lives and in their families. They will begin to develop their historical language using age appropriate vocabulary such as: "now, soon, after, before, past, future" and the concept of passing of time through the world around them. Our children will be introduced to a broad range of stories to support their early history skills.
Key Stage 1 - Our children will be build on their early learning experiences and continue to develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They will understand the people and the events they study fit within a chronological framework and identity similarities and differences between life in different periods.
Key Stage 2, our children will build on their historical vocabulary showing clear connections, contrasts and tends over time. They will continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives between the eras.
Curriculum Impact 2024/25:
- All children have had the opportunity to participate in a history based educational trip.
- All children have engaged in Forest School sessions to enhance their history curriculum.
- A successful Black History month project added diversity and depth to our history curriculum.
- During a history monitoring visit, children expressed enjoyment for the subject and were able to talk about their learning - what they knew and what they remembered.
- Monitoring highlighted clear progression through the year groups in the children's historical knowledge and vocabulary.
- End of term assessments show the majority of children achieve age related expectations in history.