History

Intent

At The Rosary Catholic Primary School, we believe that history provides us with context; it provides us with a rich sense of who we are and enables us to see that the place that humanity has come from is just as important as where it hopes to go.

History is a knowledge rich subject. Our aim is for our pupils to get better at history by demonstrating a secure and substantive knowledge (emphasised facts and events) of a variety of time periods, events and figures; by developing disciplinary skills (how historians find out about the past and form their arguments); and by using transferable knowledge (using previous knowledge to make links and to gain a better understanding of new learning). Our curriculum is bespoke and ambitious. As not all class teachers are history specialists, we have designed a clearly sequenced curriculum that is rich in knowledge and that asks questions of our pupils as they study each topic. This encourages deeper thought and reflection. In our programme, these questions are denoted by the term Rosary Historian. Teachers can however include their own ‘take’ on a topic and adapt the delivery to a way that suits their own class.

Our aim is for our pupils to know more and to remember more in history. We aim for them to know more by making the core knowledge for each topic explicit. We aim for them to remember more through pop quizzes, the use of knowledge organisers and regular revision of key dates and facts.

Our aim is that our pupils develop in the following disciplinary skills: interpretation and evaluation of sources; chronological knowledge, and enquiry and research.

The topic that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 is the History of Democracy as this details the events that have shaped England to become a democratic nation and is reflective of British Values.

An important part of our history curriculum is the development of historical vocabulary. We aim to ensure that our pupils develop a rich vocabulary that enables them to articulately recall events, time period features, as well as to express opinion and to analyse sources.

Our history curriculum prepares pupils well for further history study at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

To have a sense of curiosity and enjoyment

to be curious about and enjoy discovering the individuals, events and civilizations of the past, understanding how people lived and adapted to their world through circumstance and innovation. We want them to understand both the wonder of human achievement and the impact of human error.

To have experience of Cultural Capital in a variety of different forms

to be inspired by the experiences and achievements of past individuals and civilizations; to know and appreciate the significance of buildings in our wider locality and the part which they have played in our nation’s history e.g. Hampton Court (The Tudors); The Houses of Parliament (The History of Democracy); to experience the rich learning opportunities provided by London’s museums

To be resilient, independent and self-motivated pupils

to draw conclusions and form opinions, and to state the reason for these opinion
to research and present information independently

To ask questions and to problem solve

to understand that evidence sources helps us to draw the past together but that evidence can be biased or unreliable
to interpret the past and to interpret the past from a modern perspective i.e. to understand why people in the past acted as they did

To be global citizens of the twenty first century

to make comparisons socially and culturally within a time period e.g. the difference in social conditions for the wealthy and poor in Victorian England; to make these comparisons with life in modern Britain
to make comparisons between eras and civilizations following a common theme e.g. comparing religious belief in Ancient Egypt and Roman Britain

Implementation

A Bespoke Curriculum: We follow the National Curriculum but have adapted it to been written with the pupils of The Rosary Catholic Primary School at its centre. Topics have been developed that not only fulfil the requirement to study national (British) and world history but that also fulfil the requirement to provide pupils with an understanding of their immediate locality and its place in history. The history of the wider locality is also studied through well-chosen topics i.e. The Tudors (Year 5 - due to the school’s location close to Hampton Court Palace), and The Great Fire of London (Year 2).

Every year group studies an aspect of British history and history in a wider global context i.e. world history. We also ensure that more recent aspects of British and world history are covered i.e. the Suffragette Movement (The History of Democracy in Year 5); and the Second World War, Moon Landings and Civil Rights Movement in 1960s America (Events That Have Changed Our World - Year 6).

Progress: Pupils show their progress in history through remembering more and building upon core substantive knowledge as they learn new topics.

They also develop key disciplinary skills: interpretation and evaluation of sources; chronological understanding, and enquiry and research.

Linked Learning: Common learning strands form a key part of the ‘linked learning’ that is central to historical study. This allows our pupils to use previous knowledge when encountering new learning: the common strands are beliefs and attitudes, monarchy, empire and legacy and achievement.

Learn, Recall, Remember: we have designed our own Learn, Recall and Remember prompts. These fact sheets contain key historical information. These are revisited regularly throughout a topic through frequent quick fire questioning and informal quizzes. We aim for our pupils to know more and remember more about their world and the journey of humanity.

Enriching the History Curriculum

To cement the vibrancy of our curriculum offer, we ensure that our pupils have the opportunity to visit museums and buildings of historical significance. We therefore use our locality to London and its museums to our advantage. Pupils also participate in Expereince Days – these can either embed previous learning or be used as the ‘springboard’ into a new topic. We welcome speakers and workshops to assist in exposing pupils to a wider understanding of their world and its past.

Pedagogy

We believe that our pupils’ understanding of the past will be most successful when taught in a variety of ways. We therefore include activities such as hot seating, home research, role-play and creativity when delivering the history curriculum.

Writing

We ensure that pupils use the skills that they have learned in English in their history lessons. They are encouraged to write at length on an aspect of their topic, particularly in Key Stage 2. In Remembrance 1914-1918 (Year 6), pupils write their own poems based upon the poetry of the First World War poets, including John Macrae and Wilfred Owen. Pupils have the opportunity to research events and historical figures and to write letters from the perspective of a historical figure.

Reading: Pupils have the opportunity to read texts that describe different time periods e.g. Street Child (Year 6 – the Victorians: Society and Innovation); The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Year 6 - World War Two); Stone Age Boy (Year 3 – Stone Age to Iron Age).

Pupils study abstract concepts across time periods: monarchy, religion, empire. They study key strands that run through the curriculum from Year 3 to Year 6 including religion and empire. This allows pupils to make comparisons between these features of particular time periods.

Our history curriculum prepares pupils well for further history study at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

Impact

We measure the impact of the history curriculum in the following ways:

In-Class Feedback

Teachers provide immediate verbal feedback to pupils in class and identify misconceptions as they occur.

Assessment

History is a subject that embraces discussion and reflection. Teachers therefore assess oral contribution in lessons i.e. the confidence and ability of a pupil to express ideas based on historical fact or based upon opinion and perspective.

Pupils complete a double page spread at the end of each history topic to show their understanding of key historical knowledge.

Teaching Assistants and Interventions

Teaching assistants may be used in history lessons in the following ways:

to support the writing/language element of a task
to assist in role play/re-enactment i.e. to prompt and listen to ideas
to assist in creative tasks such as the making of Greek theatre masks in Year 5 (Life and Legacy – the Ancient Greeks)

School reports

Attainment in history is reported to parents at the end of the school year.

Our history curriculum prepares pupils well for further history study at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

At The Rosary Catholic Primary School we believe that history is an integral part of understanding our place in the world, knowing that we build upon the story of past individuals and civilizations, and that we pass our successes and failures on to future ones.

21^st Century World; 21^st Century Learners

Useful History Websites

History

Intent

Implementation

Impact

Useful History Websites

Year 1: Exciting Explorers

Year 2: Healthy Living

Year 2: The Great Fire of London

Year 2: Communication

Year 3: Stone Age - Bronze Age - Iron Age

Year 3: Sacrifice and Ceremony: The Mayans

Year 4: The Fascinating Egyptians

Year 4: The Romans in Britain: Invasion and Impact

Year 5: Life and Legacy: The Ancient Greeks

Year 5: Britain’s Invaders

Year 5: Democracy

Year 6: The Victorians: Society and Innovation

Year 6: Remembrance: 1914 – 1918

Year 6: Events That Have Shaped Our World: 1939 - 1970