At Grade Ruan, we are committed to providing a primary history curriculum that is underpinned by our three curriculum drivers: aspiration, curiosity, and diversity.
We believe that history is a fundamental part of understanding the diverse world around us and our place in it. It is through the study of our history curriculum that our students gain valuable insights into the past, which in turn helps them make sense of the present and navigate the challenges of the future. We inspire our students to become historians of their own lives, to explore the rich tapestry of human experiences, and to be curious and learn from the lessons of the past.
Intent:
We aim for our children to develop a curiosity and fascination to find out more about our local past and that of Britain’s and the wider world. We strive to ensure all children have a fundamental understanding of key periods in history and to learn to ask appropriate questions about why things happen in the past and the impact of those events. Our teaching equips pupils with a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Children will learn about ancient civilisations and empires, changes in living memory and beyond living memory, learn about the lives of significant people and events in the past.
Implementation:
Our history curriculum is taught over a range of different topics throughout the year on a rolling cycle; this allows children to develop depth in their learning and expand on existing knowledge. Teachers are aware of the key knowledge and skills of each topic and careful consideration has been given to ensure progression across years and classes. Each topic has one over-arching enquiry question
Early Years:
In EYFS, history is covered through the curriculum programme of PSED and Understanding the World, in particular past and present. Children talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society. They develop their understanding of the past and now. They learn about their lives and their family history. They will begin to develop their understanding of change and aging when talking about their family members. Children will compare and contrast characters from stories including figures from the past such as kings, queens, and famous people that provide the foundations for historical concepts.
Key Stage One and Two:
We ensure that sufficient time is given to History, in order to enable pupils to meet the expectations set out in the National Curriculum programme of study. The History curriculum is coherent and shows progression, allowing time for children to take inspiration from the world around them, both locally and further afield.
Children learn about changes within living memory and events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally. They will also study the lives of significant individuals who have made contributions to national and international achievements. They learn where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and they identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. This continues with children continuing to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history.
Impact:
The teaching of history enables pupils to:
- develop a curiosity and understanding of events, places and people in a variety of times.
- develop an appreciation of human achievements and aspirations.
- understand the values of our society.
- think critically and be able to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources.
- learn about the major issues and events in the history of our own country and of the world and how these events may have influenced one another.
- develop a knowledge of chronology within which the children can organise their understanding of the past.
- understand how the past was different from the present and that people of other times and places may have had different values and attitudes from ours.
- distinguish between historical facts and the interpretation of those facts.
- understand that events have a range of causes and that historical explanation is provisional, debatable and sometimes controversial.
