Curriculum Intent

Our history curriculum aims to deliver high quality teaching and learning to help children learn about significant people and events from a range of cultures and backgrounds, that have occurred in Britain, our local area and the wider world. We aim to deliver engaging and high quality history experiences that develop children’s curiosity, passion and understanding about events and people from the past and how they have influenced our lives today.

Curriculum Implementation

At South Borough, our history curriculum is planned using the National Curriculum aims and requirements. We teach weekly history lessons during three terms per year.

Curriculum plans build upon the foundations laid down in the EYFS. In Reception the curriculum focuses on changes over time linked to seasons, the history of celebrations and pupils’ own history, linked to Understanding the World. The KS1/2 curriculum has been sequenced to enable pupils to explore a range of topics, gaining in-depth knowledge and understanding of local and global history. This is organised and shared in the long-term overview. Topic knowledge organisers are used for teachers to ensure the coverage of key facts, events and people. Teachers will use this to support their sequence of learning when planning.

History lessons at South Borough afford children with opportunities to enquire, research and collaborate whilst developing a knowledge of events that have happened in the past. Lessons have been designed to include three strands across all year groups: Chronological Understanding, Knowledge and Understanding of Key Individuals / Events and Historical Enquiry Skills. Opportunities within lessons are given for children to review prior learning; explore what they might already know about a period of history and engage in purposeful, meaningful and fun learning experiences that expand their knowledge and lead to long term knowledge retention. The development of chronological knowledge and understanding is supported by visual timelines in all classrooms.

The children are provided with meaningful enrichment opportunities that include but are not limited to experiences, trips and visitors. We will use our local and wider community to help understand the history of our local areas. We will make use of our local museums to have workshops and experiences. Practical hands-on learning will allow our children to feel empowered about their learning with learning being recorded in a variety of ways. Learning in history is further enhanced and reinforced through additional activities in a range of areas, including (but not exclusive to) Black History Month and the history of art.

History is assessed against the skills and knowledge anchor points identified for each unit. During lessons, assessment is continuous with teachers providing live feedback and assessing recorded work in Humanities Books. End of unit assessments also take place in history to give a clear picture of pupil's knowledge and progress.