History at Christopher Hatton School
Intent
Our aim is for all pupils to be informed, articulate and empowered:
In History this means children are engaged and inspired by a well-designed sequential curriculum to be curious and interested to find out about Britain’s past and that of the wider world. History is highly valued as part of our rich curriculum. It equips children with the knowledge and understanding of significant aspects of history and the skills they need to make connections to their own histories and to critically evaluate the sources of evidence which are used to make historical claims. Our history curriculum draws from and makes full use of the immediate and wider local area which enables children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality.
Informed
Children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. They learn about diverse places and people and how they have shaped the world we live in today. Children are able to gain historical perspective through developing a growing sense of chronology and placing their knowledge into these timescales. They are able to use their knowledge to begin to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the processes of change, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups as well as the challenges they faced.
Articulate
- Through the teaching of subject specific vocabulary and the opportunities for focussed talk during lessons, children develop their ability to speculate, make connections and interpret evidence to develop their historical understanding about the world and its people. We use activities such as ‘fed in facts’ to develop a deeper understanding and support historical recounts.
Empowered
- Significant people and events which reflect the diversity of our community are included in our teaching to enable pupils to see themselves within the history curriculum. This is further supported through the inclusion of a parallel narrative to counter the predominantly white/Eurocentric focus often given. For example exploring the role and impact of black and Asian service men and women in the study of the Second World War.
- Resources and materials are selected which provide a more accurate, more inclusive, and more intercultural representation of the past
- The focus on having a growth mind-set is essential in the teaching of history. It empowers children with the confidence to have a go, to learn from mistakes and to keep trying and improving. These qualities are identified and reflected upon within the teaching of significant historical people e.g. Amelia Earhart
- We teach our children to ask questions, think critically, evaluate evidence and arguments to enable them to develop perspective and judgment about the way the past is represented and the potential for bias in historical accounts.
- Children explore history within contexts that connect with their own lives e.g. significant events and people from the local area.
- Fieldwork is an essential part of history, we make full use of the museums and galleries in our local area. These visits empower children to understand that these places belong to them. This sense of curiosity and fascination about the past is essential to fully engaging in a rich cultural life.
- All children including those who have SEND or are disadvantaged are supported to fully access the history curriculum. This may include additional adult support or use of visuals or Widget symbols for instructions. Structured sentence stems and taught vocabulary scaffolds children in discussion.
Implementation
- The History scheme of work, developed by staff across all key stages, lays out the sequential steps to be taught so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and pupils can work towards clearly defined high quality outcomes. There is a combination of overview and depth studies to help children understand the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
- The periods covered are taught in a chronological order in KS2 to build an understanding of how events fit together
- History is taught in units, with lessons sometimes blocked to allow immersion in the process.
- Each unit starts with teaching chronology and revisits previous learning to build on the timeline.
- Visits to the local area and use of local artefacts, such as the use of maps and photographs of bomb damage to the local area in WWII support contextualised learning.
- The humanities lead supports teachers and monitors standards by reviewing planning of units, talking to children with their books and observing lessons.
Impact
- Children demonstrate a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
- Children become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in.
- Children are curious to know more about the past and ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.
Click here to see year 1 History scheme of work
Click here to see year 2 History scheme of work
Click here to see year 3 History scheme of work
Click here to see year 4 History scheme of work
Click here to see year 5 History scheme of work
Click here to see year 6 History scheme of work
Click here to see progression in History across the school
