History
Intent
Our curriculum for History aims to inspire pupils' curiosity to know more about local, regional, national and international History. Ensuring that the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum 2014 are met, pupils will develop the chronological, enquiry and interpretation skills needed to understand the History of Britain and the wider world. All of our history topics are linked to experiences, such as fieldwork, visits and outside experts coming into the classroom to share their knowledge, to further embed the learning.
Ensuring coverage of the National Curriculum, our pupils are taught:
- About changes within and beyond living memory which reflect aspects of change in national life, including those that are significant globally or nationally.
- As they progress into Key Stage Two, pupils will note connections, contrasts and trends over time, thus developing a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
- About the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, such as: David Hockney, Grace O’Malley, Captain James Cook, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Percy Shaw, Helen Sharman and John Harrison.
- About significant national historical events, such as: The Great Fire of London, Roman Invasions, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and the Industrial Revolution.
- To develop the appropriate use of historical terms relating to the passing of time.
- To understand ways in which information about the past is represented, using a range of sources when addressing and sometimes devising historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
- To construct informed responses that involves thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.
Implementation
History is taught in two and three week blocks across the year with cross-curricular links made to Art or Design Technology. Teaching methods include enquiry-based questions, research and the use of primary and secondary resources to support our teaching. Establishing enquiry questions that are relevant, appropriate, and engaging to the children allows children to develop their ability to ask and answer historical questions, develop their skills as researchers and at the same time develop their understanding of key concepts linked to questions of change, causation and significance.
At Christ Church we recognise the need to embed learning by revisiting and recalling previously learned knowledge at the start of each new topic. This is further emphasised by the Knowledge Organisers that go home with each child prior to the new topic, detailing the links to previous learning, the key vocabulary and the sticky knowledge that we wish them to gain during that particular topic. The Knowledge Organisers are also stuck in the front of their books and referred to throughout the topic teaching.
History knowledge organisers can be found on each of the class pages.
Where possible there is a clear sequence to the History topics to further enhance our children’s understanding:
For example:
- In Year 3, the Stone Age is taught just before Ancient Egypt because the two overlap and this helps the children to understand how advanced Egypt was compared to the UK at that time. The Stone Age is characterised by monolithic sculptures and this is echoed by the focus on Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, both monolithic sculptors, later in the year.
- In Year 4, the Romans are taught first and they are famous for their road building, amongst other things, so it seemed natural to study Percy Shaw in the summer term who contributed so significantly to the safety of road users with his invention of cat’s eyes.
- In Year 6, Whitby, a working port, is followed by the study of John Harrison who did so much to improve the safety of long, distance sea travel with his invention of the marine chronometer.
In the Summer Term, we focus our History Curriculum on famous Yorkshire people, most from very humble backgrounds, who persevered and succeeded, becoming world famous. They have been carefully chosen to be inspirational role models to our children, linking in to our school vision of instilling high expectations and aspiration in all: ‘Soaring High, Together we Shine,’ this also links directly to our 6 Core Values that run through all of school life.
Famous, local Historians
David Hockney (Bradford, Yorkshire), a British painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.
Captain James Cook (Marton, Yorkshire), a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge that influenced his successors well into the 20th century.
Barbara Hepworth (Wakefield, Yorkshire), an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. She was one of the few female artists of her generation to achieve international prominence.
Henry Moore (Castleford, Yorkshire), an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art.
Percy Shaw (Halifax, Yorkshire), an English inventor and businessman. He patented the reflective road stud or "cat's eye" in 1934, and set up a company to manufacture his invention in 1935.
Helen Sharman (Sheffield, Yorkshire) an English chemist who became the first British astronaut, as well as the first woman, to visit the Mir space station in May 1991.
John Harrison (Foulby, Yorkshire), an English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea. He revolutionized navigation and greatly increased the safety of long-distance sea travel.
Documents
Curriculum Policies
To see all of our policies concerning the curriculum click the link below: