History

Our Curriculum

At St William’s Catholic Primary School, our curriculum stems from our Mission Statement:

‘By following Jesus’ example, standing side by side, we will nurture each other to fulfil our hopes and dreams’.

We are passionate about helping every child to fulfil their potential and become an all-round versatile citizen with the skills needed to succeed in life. We design our curriculum to ensure it is fully inclusive of every child and that it addresses each aspect of how a child develops, progresses and grows both academically and emotionally. We recognise that we live in a rapidly changing digital world and at St William’s we want to enable our children to not just learn WHAT to think, but HOW to think by developing intellectual learning behaviours. ‘Thinking’ is at the heart of our curriculum because our intent is to future proof our children so they become independent and resilient citizens.

Intent

Our aim at St William’s Catholic Primary School is to encourage pupils to develop an appreciation and understanding of the past using a range of primary and secondary sources. Our historians will also be able to explain how these sources give us an insight about how people around the world used to live and how these interpretations may differ. Pupils will be taught to use the skills of a historian to make links between these areas of learning, with the aim of developing engaged, motivated and curious learners that can reflect on the past and make meaningful links to the present day
Implementation

Our History curriculum is based on an enquiry approach. It has been designed to cover all of the skills, knowledge and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum states 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 pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.’ To ensure that pupils develop a secure knowledge that they can build on, our History curriculum is organised into a progression model that outlines the knowledge, Disciplinary Concepts and vocabulary to be taught in a sequentially coherent way. History is delivered through subject specific teaching organised into blocks under an overarching enquiry question. Meaningful links with other subjects are made to strengthen connections and understanding for pupils. The History units taught have been developed to help children appreciate their own identity and the challenges in their time. It will help them understand the process of change over time and significant developments.
Planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. Staff make use of a range of materials and national agencies, including the History Association, of which the school is a member. The history curriculum is designed to ensure appropriate diversity in the significant figures and cultures that children learn about.
Teachers’ cater for the varying needs of all learners, differentiating activities where necessary and as appropriate, and ensuring an appropriate level of challenge. Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge.
Where appropriate, enrichment opportunities are planned including drama productions, living history days, visits to places of local historical significance.

Curriculum Map

Substantive knowledge

Disciplinary Concepts
Impact

At St. William’s Pupil voice shows that pupils are confident and able to talk about what they have learnt in history using subject specific vocabulary. Pupil voice also demonstrates that pupils enjoy history and are able to recall their learning over time. Pupils work demonstrates that history is taught at an age appropriate standard across each year group with opportunities planned in for pupils working at greater depth. Work is of good quality and demonstrates pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence.
Monitoring in History includes book looks, lesson observations and/or learning walks, pupil and/or staff voice. This provides an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in History.
In history, the curriculum is the progression model. The pupils are assessed through their acquisition of the relevant substantive knowledge and appropriate disciplinary concepts. Assessment is completed at the end of each unit with a final ‘best fit’ teacher assessment made at the end of the year. The history coordinator and class teachers will ensure that assessment is embedded as an essential part of teaching and learning. Enquiry questions and disciplinary challenges are shared at the start of every lesson to help pupils to know and understand the standards they are aiming for. Pupils will receive subject specific feedback which enables them to recognise their next steps and how to take them.
If throughout the year, children are not making progress against the criteria, it is the responsibility of the class teacher to seek support and have a professional discussion with the subject leader regarding their concerns.
Key Documentation

History Policy

History National Curriculum
Helping Your Child With History

History as a subject is not just learnt within the classroom, good history education is a partnership between the child’s home and school and there are lots of things you can do as a parent/carer to support your child’s journey.
Many children, particularly younger children, find it difficult to understand the concept of ‘the past’. Encourage children to talk to friends and family members about their memories from the past - from toys, food and hobbies to cars, holidays, school days and work days. Many children love to dress up – encouraging role play is a fantastic way for children to the lives if Kings, Queens, knights, soldiers etc. Share stories and films that are set in the past and talk about the events in the books and discuss reasons these may have taken place.
We are fortunate to have lots of museums and historical sites in our region. Visits to these attractions can really help breathe life into history. Many museums and sites now have interactive exhibits for children to keep them busy, so they can touch replicas of period pieces or watch computer animated videos of how people once lived.
Useful Links

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/horrible-histories

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/

https://www.visitmanchester.com/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/museums-and-galleries

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/teaching-resources/teaching-history/