Subject Leaders: Mrs J Walmsley and Mr G Lucas

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history,” Martin Luther King Jr.

What is History?

The word History comes from the Greek ἱστορία (historia) meaning "knowledge acquired by investigation".

Our definition for Foundation and KS1 – History is learning about the past. 

Our definition for KS2 – History is the study of the human experience through people and events from the past.

History is ultimately the study of our species and how it has changed over time. Here at North Somercotes, we aim to stimulate the children’s interest in the chronology of our country and the great civilisations of the past. Through this they will develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. By shining a light on the people and events of the past, we aim to show children how individuals have helped shape our world and how they too can shape the world of tomorrow. After all, as Dorothy West said “There is no life that does not contribute to history.” Children will not only study history but learn to look at the past through the eyes of an historian, assessing the reliability of sources and seeing how the clues left by those long passed can help us see how the world was for all people that lived during that time. Children will understand that there are different points of view and bias, and learn that history can be interpreted in different ways and for different audiences.

Intention

“How do you know who you are unless you know where you came from?”

Tony Robinson – Historian

We want our children to leave North Somercotes CE Primary inspired and encouraged by the breadth of people they have “shone a light on” during lessons, knowing that despite the hardships of their times, they were able to embody the school values (Justice, Agape, Generosity, Peace, Forgiveness and Servanthood) and leave their mark on the world. We want to instil in the children a lifelong love of learning and a fascination with the past, as well as embed the tools needed for them to study it effectively. We want them to have a passion for the world and to aspire to shape the history of the future.

Through our history curriculum we aim to:

• Develop all children’s understanding of their place in the world; to promote curiosity and fascination – to become an active learner with a passion for history.
• Develop in all children a sense of who they are, locally, nationally and globally.
• Develop well-rounded historians with the ability to enquire and the skills to explore.
• Develop a knowledge of chronology within which children can organise their understanding of the past and the role of their families and themselves within it.

We do this through the three main concepts of History; Chronology, Historical Interpretation and Historical Enquiry.

Through our teaching of History: Chronology, Historical Interpretation and Historical Enquiry, we consistently aim to raise awareness of the subject and it’s potential as an exciting and valuable career path for the future: thus encouraging and inspiring our children to broaden their horizons.

Children should be excited by History and eager to learn more, questioning what they have learnt so far, and learn without limits. We ensure that our curriculum gives children the many experiences they require to have a better understanding of the society in which they live and that they will not be limited by their starting points or life experiences.

Implementation

Organisation and planning

How do we teach History?

Throughout our school, we aim for History to be taught through an enquiry-led approach. Using an enquiry-led approach means we support our children to ask their own questions and form their own opinions (and be willing to change them as reflective learners), and that ownership of their learning is with them and not just with the adult. We will explicitly teach children to analyse evidence and think critically to form their own opinions. We allow the children to develop their own ideas and develop their skills through carefully posed questions and the sources we use. We begin with a question, which can be posed by the teacher or the children (as they progress). Previous History topics are also to be referred to, to ensure children are developing an understanding of chronology and making links to different periods of time.

We ‘bring learning to life’ to ensure that children are passionate about History and, as we know social mobility is low in North Somercotes, we try to give children experiences of the wider world. At our school, we make use of technology to access information and sources of the past. We use educational visits to give our children opportunities to experience history outside the classroom. We make sure that there are lots of opportunities for outdoor and physical learning experiences to excite children. They know that History is not just found analysing an artefact in the classroom or written in a book.

Our topics are structured so that the children can work through 3 key concepts of History: Chronology, Historical Interpretation and Historical Enquiry.

This is how we define them:

Chronology: To develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history periods.

Historical Interpretation: Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts and make connections, and contrast and analyse trends.

Historical Enquiry: Understand how evidence is used to make historical claims, and question contrasting arguments and interpretations to gain an informed historical perspective on the world.

We structure our curriculum with an overarching quote as a theme for the term with specific subjects then taught in blocks over a number of weeks. This enables us to go deeper into subjects and to make meaningful connections with other subjects. Our Curriculum Teaching Sequence for the year identifies when History is taught.

In the Foundation Stage children develop crucial knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of the world and form the foundation for historical work in Key Stage 1. They will:

• Learn that they have similarities and differences that connect them to, and distinguish them from others
• Remember and talk about significant events in their own experience
• Develop an understanding of growth, decay and changes over time
• Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change

In Key Stage 1 children will:

Being an Historian

• Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They will develop an understanding of where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They will use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They will have opportunities to ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They will gain an understanding of some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

Children will be taught about:

Historical content

• Changes within living memory
• Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally
• The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some individuals will be used to compare aspects of life in different periods
• Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

In Key Stage 2 children will:

Being an Historian

• Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They will note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They will regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They will construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They will develop an understanding of how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

Children will be taught about:

Historical content

• Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age

• The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
• Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
• The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England
• A local history study
• A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
• The achievements of the earliest civilizations
• Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
• A non-European society that provides contrasts with British history

Impact

Our children will leave North Somercotes having a depth of knowledge about Britain’s past and their wider world. They will have learnt knowledge and skills, through high-quality teaching, which can support them through life. By understanding the past lives of significant people and events, locally and globally, and how this impacts their lives now, children are taken on a journey of discovery of themselves and others. Children will be passionate about our world’s history and we will have an understanding of their place in time.

“I made a time machine out of a cardboard box and travelled to Ancient Egypt, the court of Henry VIII and Victorian London…As a child, I visited the past just to watch but now I would be tempted to rewrite the story. To interfere. To change the course of History.”

Kate Williams - Historian