All of the history units of work are planned around an overarching skills and knowledge framework. This ensures aspects of each subject make firm horizontal and progressive curriculum links between significant elements of the history curriculum. For example, the concepts of hierarchy and power are first explored in Magnificent Monarchs in Year 2. In KS2, children then study how hierarchy and power develop and change from the earliest times in Britain and the wider world, through to the great World Wars of the 20th century.

The aspects of history that run throughout the history projects are set out in the diagram below:

Stanley St Peter’s History Vision

At Stanley St Peter’s Primary School our aim is to enable all children to unlock their potential and celebrate their success.  We believe that a high quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupil’s curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. We aim to achieve this by developing planning and subject expertise, with access to interactive resources and artefacts, informed by current national expectations

In History lessons…

Teachers use their subject knowledge and understanding to support children’s learning by…

• Allowing them to develop an interest in and curiosity about the past
•  Enabling children to appreciate human achievement and aspirations
•  Allowing the children to develop an awareness of the values of contributions from different societies from the past
•  Enabling children to understand the importance of other cultures and countries
• Teaching them about the major issues of the past and how they have affected the present
• Developing the children’s concept of change over time
• Encouraging enquiry and varied methods of communication
• Allowing children to explore artefacts and other historical resources such as pictures
• Teaching them to appreciate different points of view, values and attitudes
• Enabling them to use chronological terms with understanding, recognising similarities and differences
• Providing ample opportunities to revisit key information and concepts taught previously
• Providing the children with the opportunity to ‘Show what they know’ and to answer mastery style questions (challenge question stickers) in each lesson
• Providing a knowledge organiser for each topic studied.
• Making good use of ICT.

Staff will use the Cornerstone Curriculum and National Curriculum to ensure subject coverage is met and will ensure that the long term plan reflects the coverage required in each year group. We believe a combination of indoor, outdoor and off site learning experiences will provide our children with a deeper understanding of places, people and processes. 

Pupil Voice

Children are engaged in the lessons and understand the value of what they are learning.  Children understand the relevance of this in their learning journey, drawing on links to previous learning.  As a result of this, pupils are not deterred if they do not quickly establish an understanding, instead they are motivated to achieve the learning outcome by the end of the session.  They understand that making mistakes is as much as a part of learning/discovery as is being successful.  Enjoyment and enthusiasm are expressed by children engaged in History lessons.