History

Intent

Since our last inspection in November 2019, there has been a revamp of the history curriculum on offer at the school. As a school in a diverse and multi-cultural inner London borough, we have tried to ensure our history curriculum is as inclusive as possible and that diversity needs to be broadly defined; our intent is that children develop a holistic understanding of the past and see the ‘big picture’ of history. The curriculum has been developed by the subject lead, in liaison with year group leaders and SLT, and meets the requirements laid out in the National Curriculum. The teaching of skills and knowledge progresses through each year group to ensure children are given opportunities to build upon and achieve each skill and develop an understanding of the chronological development of British and world history. Our pupils explore the past, developing their own historical curiosity and understanding of why the past can be interpreted in different ways. They learn to challenge their own and other’s views and preconceptions through appropriate and accurate historical enquiry; with the diverse range of cultures in our community, we aim to build the cultural capital of our pupils – the role of women and people from different backgrounds are embedded in the curriculum. History and culture are inherently linked and we have reflected this in our planning.

Implementation

In EYFS, children access history through talking about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society; they learn some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class; they understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling. For Key Stage 1 and 2, the schemes of work meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and ensure children build upon previous learning and develop their chronological awareness. They have also been tailored to suit the needs of our school with a focus on black history and the role of women in history, signaling a and a move away from just focusing on traditional historical figures. Teachers use questioning and discussion opportunities to support the acquisition of knowledge, skills and vocabulary and to encourage deeper thinking and consideration of other viewpoints. The creation of bespoke resources mean that teachers have a good understanding of a unit before they teach it; this gives children the very best chances to broaden their knowledge. School trips are provided to give first hand experiences to enhance children’s understanding.

EYFS	Understanding Our World- Past and Present Children talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society; they will know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class; they will understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling
Year 1	Victorian Schooldays	Great Fire of London	Take Flight
Year 2	Magnificent Monarchs	Land Ahoy	Local Study of Greenwich’s maritime history
Year 3	Ancient Greeks	The Stone Age to Bronze Age	The Bronze Age to the Iron Age
Year 4	The Roman Empire	The Anglo-Saxons	The Vikings
Year 5	Henry VIII	World War I	Ancient Egypt
Year 6	World War II	Benin	Local Study: Ignatius Sancho

Key historical figures and events from Black History are embedded in the curriculum. We also celebrate Black History Month, with each year group studying different important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

Key Stage 1 & 2 History National Curriculum

Impact

Evaluation of history is a regular part of the monitoring cycle. We conduct book looks, pupil interviews and lesson observations. Through pupil voice, we know that the children are benefiting from the diverse, inclusive curriculum and are enjoying the opportunities to learn in a variety of ways. Summative assessments are carried out by the teacher half termly which shows the progress of children during their units of study. Pupils gain a deepening understanding of chronology, historical vocabulary and the ways in which the past can be communicated.

How parents can help

We fully appreciate the importance of parental involvement and the impact of home support. Discussing the children’s learning with them is vital; extending their learning by watching related television programmes (eg Horrible Histories), trips to museums and places of historical interest further immerses the children into the world of history.

See the following link for different ways you can help your child be engaged in learning about and from history:

https://www.theschoolrun.com/best-history-home-schooling-resources

Partnership links

The school has membership of the Historical Association, which the teachers benefit from as a source for resources, knowledge and ideas about the teaching of history.

https://www.history.org.uk/