History

Long Term Plans & Action Plans

History Intent

Intent 

At Walworth School our overarching intent is to provide our pupils with a high quality, challenging curriculum which inspires a love of learning about the past.  It is our intent to develop successful learners who develop a desire to find out more about the history of Britain and the wider world.   

We recognise that many of our children have a limited understanding of their past which makes History a key element to our curriculum.  At Walworth Primary School we believe that a high quality History Curriculum will inspire children to want to know more about the past.  Our History curriculum is a well-planned and clearly sequenced. It recognises a child’s prior learning and builds upon this. The curriculum plan has been developed in accordance with the National Curriculum and with the guidance and support of Durham Humanities team. We aim to provide children with the knowledge of different historical periods (substantive knowledge) and the specific knowledge relating to skills and concepts that relate to history (disciplinary knowledge).    

The substantive and disciplinary knowledge are outlined in the curriculum overview which also includes the key vocabulary children will learn and use as they study history throughout school. 

 We wish pupils to acquire skills for life, so that they are able to apply these and have a thirst for historical knowledge, through enjoyment of the broad and balanced history curriculum and by experiencing a wealth of meaningful historic opportunities. It also makes suggestions to give history a local flavour whilst ensuring that the wider cultural capital that history can support is developed.  

Every child in our school is recognised as individual and unique. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of knowledge, basic skills, concepts and vocabulary. We provide pupils with rich learning experiences including historic educational visits.  We want children to have fun at school by providing positive experiences of education. We want to develop the children with essential characteristics to become historians. To have: 

• An excellent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world 

• Be able to ask perceptive questions, 

• Be able to think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. 

• 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. 

History Implementation

At Walworth Primary School the History Curriculum has been carefully planned to provide core knowledge and skills that are clearly sequenced across year groups and teaching cycles. The curriculum content was carefully planned working alongside the Local Authority History advisor with the ambition to keep it in line with the National Curriculum requirements adapted to our school community.   Pupil’s learning is supported by books, online resources, primary sources and evidence where appropriate and possible.  Membership to the Historical Association has been obtained to help staff with subject knowledge and planning lessons.  

There are a range of learning opportunities for each year group with clear learning objectives. The long-term plan includes a rationale for each topic and how it links to prior knowledge across both key stages.  It provides clear knowledge and the skills pupils are to acquire; which key concepts are to be analysed; which primary sources can be used and what interpretations of history are covered.  It gives advice on possible interpretations or representations of the past and key vocabulary to consider when planning. History in Early Years follows objectives from Understanding the world and is taught through a cross curricular approach.  History with our youngest children includes their immediate past and investigated through family members and their community.  This helps children learn about past and present events in their own lives and those of family members.  Children develop a sense of change overtime and begin to differentiate between past and present.  They begin to use vocabulary associated with time in their conversations.  Their knowledge is assessed against the ELG, Past and Present.  

Our teaching focus in Key Stage 1 focuses on the child’s initial surroundings and how these surroundings have changed over time.  Children then begin to look at how things have changed from beyond living memory.  The knowledge children acquire in KS1 helps to prepare them their learning in Key Stage 2.   

Throughout KS2, children learn chronologically from the earliest civilisations through to post 1066 by the end of Year 6. 

In addition, learning about History is enhanced with the use of school visits including using local sites of interest, Locomotion Museum, Durham Castle/Cathedral for example.  Children take part in workshops where possible which link to a topic or theme, a “Roman Day” where children were able to play Roman games, study artefacts and listen to what happened in the area in which we live during the times of the Romans. 

History Impact

At Walworth the history curriculum is a clearly sequenced and well-planned. This results in fun, engaging and high quality historical education. It gives opportunities for children to revisit prior learning and recall knowledge from previous learning.  The quality of children’s learning is evidenced by work in history books, displays, photos of visits and through pupil voice.  

Lessons are designed to give pupils a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. By focusing on first order concepts such as thinking critically and evaluating and challenging views it will equip pupils for further learning for example in secondary school or the future workplace.  

We use lesson visits to see if the pedagogical style (from scaffold instruction to discovery learning) matches our depth expectations.  Formative assessment is used to help teachers plan challenge in each lesson and to adapt teaching / resources to meet the individual needs of children. Teachers also use IASEND internal assessment tracking tool to assess children’s progress and attainment as they move across the school. IASEND provides opportunity for small step progress so teachers are confident that children understand the depth of learning as we as the ‘new learning as they move across the year group. It helps teachers to explore next steps of learning opportunities with an accurate planning focus that puts the child at the heart of the assessment.  

This in conjunction with work scrutiny, lesson visits and talking directly to the children will enable effective monitoring of history, evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum and produce accurate action planning. 

Our approach to historical learning will enable children to think like a historian, use historical vocabulary and dates and have an understanding of key events in history.  It will enable them to discuss, question and interpret historical evidence.