History
History Intent
At St. Gregory’s we view History as incredibly important. We see it as a form of Cultural Capital, essential knowledge that children need about the world and what has come before in order to make them educated citizens. We understand that our pupils may not have the advantages outside the school that others have in terms of access to a variety of opportunities that help them learn about history and the wider world. However, at St Gregory’s we are committed to an ethos that never accepts that where children start from will impact their ability to reach any level or achievement or future they choose.
Within the study of History at St Gregor
y’s we aim to inspire pupils to be curious about the past. We want them to gain an understanding of local, national and international history because we think it is important for them understand the world the diversity of society. These aims are in line with our own curriculum drivers of Diversity and Community.
We aim to follow the National Curriculum. We believe it provides a sold bedrock from which to achieve these aims.
We aim to help children understand how things have changed over time, build a mental chronology of significant world events and time periods to help them understand why people behaved in the way they did. We believe that History will support children to appreciate the complexity of people’s lives, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Studying History allows children to appreciate the many reasons why people may behave in the way they do, supporting children to develop empathy for others (a key aspect of our Catholic teaching) while providing an opportunity to celebrate what we have learned from the past.
We aim to develop pupils’ understanding of how historians study the past and construct accounts -the disciplinary knowledge - and empower them with the skills to carry out their own historical enquiries. These are the skills of a historian.
In order to prepare pupils for their future learning in History, alongside key topic knowledge and factual information (substantive knowledge) we aim to develop children’s understanding of abstract concepts such as: power, invasion, settlement and migration, empire, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of humankind, society and culture. Within these we aim to expand children’s understanding of the past so that they might better appreciate and understand the present and future.
Within History, we aim to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers who develop a complex knowledge of local and national history and the history of the wider world. We want to build an awareness of significant events and individuals in global, British and local history and recognise how things have changed over time. We feel it is important that pupils to develop the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and be able to explain and analyse historical evidence.
Implementation
Across our curriculum we aim to support pupils in building their understanding of chronology in each year group, making connections over periods of time and developing a chronologically-secure knowledge of History. We hope to develop pupils’ understanding of how historians study the past and construct accounts and the skills to carry out their own historical enquiries.
We aim to follow the National Curriculum, which advocates the development of both substantial and disciplinary knowledge. Our curriculum therefore emphasises the importance of historical knowledge being shaped by disciplinary approaches. Alongside the pursuit of knowledge, we want children to develop their understanding of the following key disciplinary concepts:
• Change and continuity.
• Cause and consequence.
• Similarities and differences.
• Historical significance.
• Historical interpretations.
• Sources of evidence.
In EYFS, children explore the concept of history by reflecting on key experiences from their own past, helping them understand that they each have their own histories. Then, they engage in activities to compare and contrast characters from stories, including historical figures, deepening their understanding of how individual lives fit into broader historical narratives. Their learning focuses on each of the history-related Development matters statements. Children will further develop their awareness of the past in Key stage 1 and will know where people and events fit chronologically. This will support children in building a ‘mental timeline’ they can refer to throughout their learning in Key stage 2 and identifying connections, contrasts and trends over time.
In Key stage 1 and 2, units are organised around an enquiry-based question and children are encouraged to follow the enquiry cycle (Question, Investigate, Interpret, Evaluate and Conclude, Communicate) when answering historical questions.
In order to prepare pupils for their future learning in History, we aim to introduce them to key substantive concepts including power, invasion, settlement and migration, empire, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of humankind, society and culture
Substantive concepts such as power, trade, invasion and settlement, are introduced in Key stage 1, clearly identified in Lower key stage 2 and revisited in Upper key stage 2, allowing knowledge of these key concepts to grow. These concepts are returned to in different contexts, meaning that pupils begin to develop an understanding of these abstract themes which are crucial to their future learning in History.
We follow the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. For example, children progress by developing their knowledge and understanding of substantive and disciplinary concepts by experiencing them in a range of historical contexts and periods.
Impact
The expected impact of our History scheme of work is that children will:
● Know and understand the history of Britain, how people’s lives have shaped this nation andhow Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
● Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, non-European societies and the achievements of mankind.
● Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts - power, invasion, settlement and migration, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of mankind and society.
● Form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.
● Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.
● Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.
● Ask historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts.
● Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.
● Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.
● Meet the relevant Early Learning Goals at the end of EYFS (Reception) and the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for History at the end of Key stage 1 and 2.