History at Woodnook
The aim of our History Curriculum at Woodnook Primary School is to inspire in our pupils a curiosity and fascination about Britain’s past and that of the history of the wider world such as ancient civilisations. We want our pupils to enjoy and love learning about history by gaining historical knowledge and skills through well-planned lessons and activities. To also develop an understanding of chronology through their studies from EYFS to Year 6. The pupils will study significant people from history whilst at Woodnook. We aim to provide a curriculum that meets statutory requirements and that reflects our pupils’s heritage.
We follow the Early Years Statutory Framework (2021) where History is found in the specific area ‘Understanding the World’ within the ELG ‘Past and Present’. Pupils in Years 1-6 follow the National Curriculum (2014) for History. Lancashire KLIPs are used to support planning and assessment in these year groups.
We aim for all our pupils to meet the standards as outlined below.
By the end of the EYFS pupils should:
- Talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society.
- Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
- Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling. (Early Years Statutory Framework 2021)
By the end of KS2 pupils should:
- know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
- know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
- gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
- understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
- understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
- gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales. (National Curriculum 2014)
Alongside the statutory frameworks, we use our yearly overview which includes the content for each year group, medium term plans and Lancashire KLIPs grids to provide a clear sequence of learning, so that our pupils continually build on prior knowledge and skills. Class curriculum maps demonstrate the progression of knowledge and skills across the classes and the school. Teaching sequences are tailored to ensure that knowledge and skills from across the curriculum are applied.
In the EYFS ‘Past and Present’ is delivered within the setting using a range of resources and activities in order to prepare them for the transition into Key Stage 1.
In Years 1-6 History is taught as a discrete subject and lessons take place weekly, on a cycle with Geography. At Woodnook Primary School we implement a knowledge based progressive curriculum which in turn develops skills. Links are made to other subjects where appropriate. Quality teaching in history, with well-planned lessons, support their learning.
We recognise that all pupils throughout our school have differing abilities and, therefore, tailor our approach to the individual, where necessary, matching activities to specific ability groups and taking into account any individual plans e.g. PEP or EHCP. This allows for a variety of responses and differentiated outcomes, to ensure that every child has the opportunity to optimise their full potential. We ensure that pupils are set achievable, yet challenging content. We are aware of different learning styles and plan accordingly.
Historical vocabulary is taught, discussed, displayed and rehearsed throughout each unit that is studied within class so that it can be recalled and used by the pupils independently and with understanding at an age- appropriate level. Open-ended questioning is used efficiently to enhance learning.
When teaching History, we are aiming to develop and equip the pupils with the knowledge and skills to think and act like historians. We strive to teach exciting, informative and varied lessons, engaging pupils all across the school and fostering a passion for history. We allow opportunities for pupils to work individually, in small groups or as part of a whole class. The aim is to allow pupils to learn, order, enquire, compare, critique and debate events, groups and significant individuals from the past and present day. Pupils will access a range of resources across all year groups to enable them to enhance their learning. These could include visits in the local area and wider afield, visitors, video/film, the use of technology, role play and drama, primary and secondary sources including artefacts.
