History
Subject Leader: Ms Khan
“The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.”
– Harry S Truman
Intent
At Cheetwood Primary School, we deliver History as a discrete subject, celebrating the breadth and depth of its canon with curiosity and awe. History is taught in half-termly blocks throughout the year alternating with Geography, so that children achieve depth in their learning. Children are taught History in Key Stages: KS1, LKS2 and UKS2.
In teaching History, we encourage children to ask questions about the past and discover similarities and differences between past and present, which, in turn, enables them to develop their sense of time and how cultures and technologies have come to be what they are today. This approach places the child on the timeline, giving them a sense that they too belong to this powerful subject, thus connecting them personally and bringing purpose to their learning.
We draw on previously taught knowledge and skills often, with phrases such as ‘Do you remember when..?’, in order to build upon past lessons, increasing children’s bank of knowledge and helping them make links between different time periods.
Our exciting delivery of Plan Bee History, uses a variety of teaching tools such as slides, books, costume, trips, timelines, handling artefacts and evidence, providing children with an accessible, three-dimensional grasp of the subject. Through this, children adapt an appreciation for our country’s rich heritage and that of the wider world.
Implementation
We aim to plan and teach an ambitious and progressive curriculum across the school, to ensure that skills are built upon, and mastered. In providing quality first teaching, we build good foundations for learning and extend children’s knowledge of the past.
Teachers ensure that children are challenged in their learning and encouraged to persevere to reach their potential, while lessons are accessible for all through clear differentiation and regular assessments to guide challenges at the correct level for each child. Teachers make lessons engaging, inspiring and enjoyable, giving the children confidence in their abilities, whilst linking pre-taught units, with those that they are currently learning, thus connecting their web of knowledge and understanding. Additionally, we support all pupils to read and spell historic vocabulary at a level consistent with their increasing knowledge, as well as creating thought-provoking and eye-catching displays around school which reinforce learning. Timelines are clear and visible, to aid understanding.
Throughout Cheetwood, we develop enquiry skills through presenting interesting artefacts and a range of sources. Wherever possible, we capitalise on cross-curricular links such as in English, where historic fiction or non-fiction texts are discovered, enabling pupils to broaden their curiosity of the world around them through exploring, talking about, and asking questions.
Impact
Outcomes in history books evidence a broad and balanced History curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified knowledge.
The impact of History teaching will be measured in the following ways:
- End of unit quizzes to see what facts the pupils have retained
- Target Tracker
- Marking and feedback
- Regular questioning each lesson to check knowledge retained from previous lesson
