History

We have used the National Curriculum as a basis to create an ambitious and engaging curriculum which allows all children to become passionate and confident historians. Leaders have planned a curriculum sequenced from the beginning of early years through to clearly defined endpoints at the end of Key Stage 2. During the design phase, leaders consulted widely with Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 colleagues to ensure that the curriculum prepared students well for Year 7 and beyond.

Students learn how to become effective historians (disciplinary knowledge) and key facts (substantive knowledge) that enables them to build a coherent picture of the past.

Careful consideration given to building knowledge (schema theory) and sequencing (making links over time and between themes) guarantees that children have the opportunity to build rich and detailed knowledge.

To help students and teachers with this, we use our ‘Big Ideas’ as ‘golden threads’.

The ‘Big Ideas’ for history are:

• Artefacts and Sources
• Chronology and Events
• Conflict
• Culture
• Society and Government
• Homes and Settlements
• Travel and Exploration

Our history curriculum is not about separating off periods of time as distinct units of work. It is about developing children’s understanding of why and how things may have changed over time. These ‘golden threads’ allow children to explore a theme across different periods of history. The ‘Big Ideas’ allow children to create a schema of historical knowledge that flows and progresses with them throughout their time at the academy.

For example, students learn about homes and settlements when studying Romans in Britain. This enables teachers to deliberately create links with previous study on homes and settlements in 1666 (The Great Fire of London) and prepares them for future study on the homes and settlements of the Anglo Saxons.

As a summary, in Early Years children learn the language to describe the buildings we live in today, the buildings in our local area and the very recent past e.g. the lives of their parents and grandparents. By the end of Year 6 students can make links between the periods of time they have studied and how homes and settlements have developed and changed and the reasons for this.

Children are introduced to the main themes of a unit of work through our ‘SOAP’ (Subject On a Page). These prepare children for study by providing them with the chronology and key knowledge for the time period studied. These SOAPS make explicit the content that will be taught. Teachers plan carefully to ensure curriculum coverage.

Within the learning sequence we have deliberately designed a number of opportunities for assessment. At the end of each unit, students complete our ‘ROAPs’ (Review on a Page). Children are very proud of their high quality ROAPs; they enjoy showing off what they have learned. We also use a variety of fun quizzes to make learning ‘sticky’.

Our curriculum for history can be found in the link below. Please contact the academy to speak to our Vice Principal or your child’s teacher if you would like to know more.

An example of how our curriculum looks from Reception to Year 6

Chronology and Events ‘Big Idea’