Intent

At Darton Primary School, we have designed a history curriculum with the intent that our children will have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world, and to be able to communicate using an expansive range of historical terminology. We want our children to develop a genuine interest in the past and how it shapes the present and the future.

We will deliver a history curriculum that ensures our children:

• have a good knowledge of the history of Britain and how it has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• participate in high-quality educational visits/visitors that enrich their learning and give them a better understanding of lives in the past
• develop a strong understanding of chronology through the use of timetables, timelines, vocabulary and comparisons
• make links within the history they learn and compare societies to establish similarities and differences and further their knowledge and explanations of change and continuity over time
• develop enquiry skills, using both primary and secondary sources, to pursue their own interests and further questioning within a topic
• know about the lives and impact of significant people throughout history and consider how they could make a difference
• have the ability to articulate their ideas fluently and engage in historical debate

Implementation

The National Curriculum 2014 and the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework 2017 provide the basis for our history curriculum, which is then tailored to meet the learning and developmental need of the children in our school.

Teachers will plan history using the newly developed progression of skills document which will allow children to build upon prior knowledge and understanding. Knowledge organisers will be developed and introduced for teachers and pupils to use for each topic for reference and assessment purposes. They will map out the knowledge, vocabulary and skills needed to master the concepts.

In class 5, the history curriculum is organised so that the children learn about a prehistoric study in the autumn term, in order to solidify their knowledge of chronology. They then move on to a British history study in the spring term before learning about an ancient civilisation in the summer term.

In classes 6,7,8 and 9, the history curriculum is organised so that children learn about local or recent historical events or societies in the autumn term, they then move on to British history in the spring term before learning about an international or ancient civilisation or event in the summer term. 

Due to mixed classes, there are two cycles for classes 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to ensure that all children are taught all of the history objectives in their journey throughout key stage 1 and key stage 2.

Impact

Children will:

• possess a secure understanding of the chronology of the British Isles and other important periods of history

• be able to differentiate between source types, use historical evidence to form their own opinions and interpretation of the past and explain how interpretations in history may differ  

• become increasingly critical and analytical thinkers with the ability to debate, discuss and communicate their ideas and opinions with a wide range of historical terminology

• become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in

• have a further understanding of history within the local community 

• be able to make connections between different periods of history that they have studied