History

Intent

At Walsh Memorial Infant School we teach History in accordance with the National Curriculum and Early Years Development Matters Guidance. The over- all aim is to foster a love of history in our pupils and stimulate their curiosity to learn about the past, and the impact events may have had on their present day life. Through the topics taught, pupils use and develop inquiry and questioning skills, develop critical thinking, weigh evidence and use evidence to develop perspective and judgement. This enables our children to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and the wider world. In turn this enables pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives and the process of change.

Our local area is rich in history, with Ash Museum within easy reach and The Fast Museum, located in Aldershot, which is visited to enrich the Samuel Cody topic in Year One. We aim to make full use of the resources within the local and wider area enabling our children to develop a deeper understanding of the history of their locality.  We also join in all national, local and school historical events such as VE Day and Peace Day.

Throughout Key stage 1, pupils will be taught about a range of historical events and famous people and their impact on present day life. National Curriculum guidance is followed and history within the context of the local area is utilised.

Foundation stage history is taught within the ‘Understanding the World’ specific area of learning. Here children find out about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. Children look at ‘then’ and ‘now’ pictures and objects linked to topics throughout the year and begin to talk about similarities, differences and  explore the concept of change in simple ways.

Implementation

In Key stage 1 History is taught in blocked units throughout the year. Cross curricular links are made with Literacy, art, science and DT. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and the progression of these skills across the Year Groups.

History in Early Years is taught in accordance with Development Matters guidance and aims for children to have an understanding of People and Communities, planned for in cross curricular topics.  The children explore the concept of change in simple ways and begin to understand chronology through the sequencing of familiar events

Our approach to history is though inquiry so our pupils are encouraged to be curious and ask questions, thereby developing skills of critical thinking. They develop their knowledge and use of specialised vocabulary, along with building up subject knowledge and understanding. Our learning and teaching in history is interactive, with practical activities that allow independent, paired and whole group activities. Teachers use a range of photographs, website resources, books, artefacts and historical evidence within their lessons. Chronology is evident through displayed time lines and recorded activities. Pupils record their learning in a topic book, making strong links with literacy skills and also through art, science and DT activities. Our Learning and teaching in history also recognises the importance of the local area and its significant people and where possible, this is utilized to achieve the desired outcomes. Teachers consider how to extend their greater depth children and also those learners needing support to engage and achieve. Pupils work is monitored and assessed to ensure its reflects a secure understanding of the key skills and knowledge identified.

 

Impact

Our children’s topic books show a broad and balanced history curriculum which evidences the pupils acquisition of key knowledge, and with activities differentiated to enable inclusion for all.

Pupil conference with the subject coordinator confirms that pupils enjoy History and are keen to share their learning, thoughts and ideas. They reflect on what and how much they have learned, topics they have enjoyed and show a curiosity to learn more about the past. Children are asked at the beginning of each topic what they know already and what they would like to learn. They are then asked what they have learned comparative to their starting points, at the conclusion of each topic.

Our children develop their questioning and analytical skills, together with a sound understanding of key events from the past, and their impact upon the world they live in today.

Assessment is made at the end of each unit of work and a summative judgement at the end of the year is made in the annual record of achievement. Here teachers are able to state whether children have achieved the expected goals, are working at greater depth or still working towards them.