History

Intent

At Dilton Marsh C of E Primary School we believe that high quality History education provides the foundations for understanding the world around us. Through our History curriculum at Dilton Marsh we aim to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers who develop a complex knowledge of local and national history and the history of the wider world. We want pupils to develop the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and be able to explain and analyse historical evidence.

At Dilton Marsh we are inclusive by design, celebrating the diversity within our school family and further afield.  The nurture, compassion and kindness we demonstrate is harnessed in clear routines and explicit expectations ensuring our children feel safe and develop a strong sense of belonging from the outset.

‘A place to belong and grow together’ enables pupils at Dilton Marsh to have the determination to overcome challenges they may face. This is underpinned by our 4 key values, Belong, Encourage, Endure and Serve. Our aim at Dilton Marsh CofE Primary School is to ‘grow’ individuals who are aspirational, resilient and determined and leave our school as confident individuals who will make valid contributions to our future society.

Our history curriculum is designed to build an awareness of significant events and individuals in global, British and local history and recognise how things have changed over time. History will support children to appreciate the complexity of people’s lives, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Studying History allows children to appreciate the many reasons why people may behave in the way they do, supporting children to develop empathy for others while providing an opportunity to learn from mankind’s past mistakes. We use the Kapow Primary's History scheme which aims to support pupils in building their understanding of chronology in each year group, making connections over periods of time and developing a chronologically-secure knowledge of History.

Implementation 

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in history, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.

In order to prepare pupils for their future learning in History, the Kapow scheme aims to introduce them to key substantive concepts including power, invasion, settlement and migration, empire, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of humankind, society and culture.

Kapow Primary’s History scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of Key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum and the aims also align with those set out in the National curriculum. For EYFS, the activities allow pupils to work towards the Understanding the world Development matters statements and Early learning goals, while also covering foundational knowledge that will support them in their further history learning in Key stage 1.

In order to meet the aims of the National curriculum for History and in response to the Ofsted Research review into History, we have identified the following key strands:

The Kapow scheme emphasises the importance of historical knowledge being shaped by disciplinary approaches, as shown in the diagram above. These strands are interwoven through all the History units to create engaging and enriching learning experiences which allow the children to investigate history as historians do. Each six-lesson unit has a focus on chronology to allow children to explore the place in time of the period they are studying and make comparisons in other parts of the world. In EYFS, children explore the concept of history by reflecting on key experiences from their own past, helping them understand that they each have their own histories. Then, they engage in activities to compare and contrast characters from stories, including historical figures, deepening their understanding of how individual lives fit into broader historical narratives. Children will further develop their awareness of the past in Key stage 1 and will know where people and events fit chronologically. This will support children in building a ‘mental timeline’ they can refer to throughout their learning in Key stage 2 and identifying connections, contrasts and trends over time. The Kapow Primary timeline supports children in developing this chronological awareness.

Over the course of the scheme, children develop their understanding of the following key disciplinary concepts:

• Change and continuity.

• Cause and consequence.

• Similarities and differences.

• Historical significance.

• Historical interpretations.

• Sources of evidence.

Substantive concepts such as power, trade, invasion and settlement, are introduced in Key stage 1, clearly identified in Lower key stage 2 and revisited in Upper key stage 2 allowing knowledge of these key concepts to grow. These concepts are returned to in different contexts, meaning that pupils begin to develop an understanding of these abstract themes which are crucial to their future learning in History.

Impact

The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age-related knowledge linked to the history curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

All children will have:

• A wider variety of skills linked to historical knowledge and understanding,
• A richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
• High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.
• A curiosity for the world around them which will enable them to be inquisitive and question new concepts which come their way.