History School Policy
Intent
To build a History curriculum which develops a love of learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills which enables children to enquire, research and analyse. Children will know more, empathise more and understand more about the past and have the skills to make connections to their present and future.
Implementation
Children & parents have access to key knowledge, language and definitions to understand History and to use these skills across the curriculum. Class teachers assess children’s understanding in History through Ellicitation tasks to complete a teaching sequence. This qualitative data is then analysed to develop further the children’s learning.
History content at St. Paul's is built upon clear concepts or 'threads' that are repeated throughout each year group. This allows children to revisit each concept, building upon their schema, or knowledge, as they make progress through the curriculum. These concepts are:
CIVILISATION
TRADE
MIGRATION
POWER
LEGACY
Children are taught to recall their existing and prior knowledge of these threads and then to make connections with new learning, layering and creating deeper knowledge of these concepts across a range of historical periods. An overarching Enquiry Question provides purpose of learning, allowing children to develop vocabulary and concepts. As the period of history is explored, children build answers to the original question. A range of sources is used to support the acquisition of knowledge.
Impact
Children will know more, empathise more and understand more about History. Children will understand and use the key skills of chronological understanding, knowledge and understanding of events in the past, Historical interpretation, Historical enquiry, organisation and communication. The majority of children will achieve age related expectations in History to provide a platform to explore historical concepts, to debate, discuss, be curious and inquisitive.
History National Curriculum
St Paul's Curriculum Tracker
Progression of skills
history progression of skills.pdf
History Enrichment at St Paul's
We believe that handling real artefacts enhances the children’s historical knowledge, understanding and skills. Close links are maintained with Somerset Heritage Loans and other pertinent services. We plan either a visit or an expert for every history topic to provide first-hand experiences for the children to support and develop their learning. We recognise that to have impact the planned visit must be clearly linked to the statutory historical knowledge and skills to be acquired and provide the opportunity for children to better understand the knowledge or apply what they already know. We recognise that children learn in a variety of ways, and so where appropriate, children will learn history outside the classroom (eg. Battle reenactment, settlement building, quiz trails). We hold a whole-school History Day to celebrate and investigate History.
Gallery
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
History builds empathy through studying the lives and struggles of others. Studying the diversity of human experience helps us appreciate cultures, ideas, and traditions that are not our own – and to recognize them as meaningful products of specific times and places. Each history topic builds childrens' knowledge of, and respect for, different people’s faiths, feelings and values over time. Through creative lesson planning, they gain a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them. Progression in historical vocabulary leads to a recognition and understanding of laws and moral boundaries, democracy, empire and how power has manifest over time. Linking our learning with fundamental British Values, history builds curiosity, allowing for the development of reasoned argument and debate on moral and ethical issues. At St. Paul's we use opportunities across the curriculum to highlight the richness of our diversity and appreciate the wide range of cultural influences that has shaped our school and the commonalities that we share. We prioritise commemorating and celebrating local, national, cultural and sporting dates which builds a willingness to look outwards, respect others and participate in their local and global communities.
Adapted Teaching to make History accessible to all Children (SEND)
How does St Paul’s offer appropriate support and challenge to different groups and abilities?
A bespoke approach to SEND access to curriculum. Teachers know their individual children and provide support/challenge accordingly.
Strategies that have shown to be effective in supporting learning include:
Recording verbal contributions and uploading to Seesaw,
Use of Images related to WALT to discuss, classify and notate, uploaded to Seesaw or photographed for book evidence.
Source a wide range of subject-linked resources (books, posters, artefacts) to hook and stimulate learning and response.
Enrichment activities that bring subject to life. Role play experiences that invite participation and ownership that leads to building empathy with the period/people/experience.
