History Intent

History is all around us. The study of history ignites children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world. Through finding out about how and why the world, our country, culture and local community have developed over time, children understand how the past influences the present. History enables children to develop a context for their growing sense of identity and a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. What they learn through history can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values. At St. Bega’s, our intent, when teaching history, is to stimulate the children’s curiosity in order for them to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding.

Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND)/Pupils Premium/Higher Attainers

All children will have Quality First Teaching. Any children with identified SEND or in receipt of pupil premium funding may have adapted work in order to access the curriculum dependent upon their needs.  As well as this, our school offers a demanding and varied curriculum, providing children with a range of opportunities in order for them to reach their full potential and consistently achieve highly from their starting points.  History provides excellent opportunities to enhance the learning of more able pupils through investigations, analysing sources and writing extended pieces.

Implementation

We plan and assess lessons using the 2014 Primary National Curriculum and Chris Quigley Milestones. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. It is important that the children develop progressive skills of a historian throughout their time at St. Bega’s and do not just learn a series of facts about the past. In History, our pupils find evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusion. To do this successfully, as historians, they need to be able to research, interpret evidence, including primary and secondary sources, and have the necessary skills to argue for their point of view. These are skills that will help them in their adult lives.

During the Early Years Foundation Stage, the children are given opportunity to find out about past and present events in their own lives, and those of their families and other people they know. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, History makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world through discovering the meaning of new and old in relation to their own lives.

Impact

By the time the children leave our school they should have developed:

· A secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered.

 · The ability to think critically about history and communicate confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.

 · The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence taken from a range of sources.

· The ability to think, reflect, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining questions and lines of enquiry.

· A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.

· A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their explanations and judgements.

· A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.