Our History Curriculum: Inspiring a Love for Learning 

Statement of Intent

The History curriculum at Croxton Kerrial CE Primary School makes full use resources within the immediate and wider local area enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality. This is started from EYFS/KS1 with children looking at their own houses and building an understanding of how the local village and town have developed over time and develops further by understand the role the local area and slightly further afield have played in key historical events.

Units are informed by the national curriculum and our history curriculum is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy.  In line with the national curriculum 2014, the curriculum at Croxton aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• Gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world which helps to stimulate pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past
• Are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement
• Begin 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. 

Statement of Implementation

History is taught consistently throughout the year, so that children achieve depth in their learning.  Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each unit and consideration has been given to ensure progression across units throughout each phase where possible in our cycle. 

The skills that are developed through out knowledge based curriculum are separated into 4 key sections:

1. Historical enquiry, where children will learn to ask relevant and informed questions that go beyond simply when something happened but also the why and the impact.
2. Historical understanding, where children will look at the context of an event or time frame and truly explore at depth the way life was during this time and the role key events and people have had in developing both Britain and the world as a whole.
3. Chronological understanding, our curriculum aims to ensure that all children have a strong understanding of chronology, and are able to apply this consistently.
4. Finally, we focus on the importance of vocabulary, both historical and unit specific and how important it is for children to understand and use appropriate vocabulary.

Planning is informed by and aligned with the national curriculum and a range of other resources including the History Association.  Consideration is given to how all learners will be ensured access to the curriculum at a suitably challenging level, be this making it more accessible for those children with specific needs or extending those working at greater depth.  Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge in our knowledge rich approach to History learning.

Statement of Impact

In our History curriculum, emphasis is placed on analytical thinking and questioning which helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world and are curious to know more about the past. Throughout their learning pupils primarily develop a passion and interest for the subject while learning to ask informed questions, think critically, consider evidence and how reliable/valid it may be, review arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They can draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece, ancient Egypt and the Mayans.