History

The Curriculum Leaders for History are: Mrs Z Vincent & Mrs L Organ

Intent

At The Redstart Primary School we believe that children should have the opportunity to learn about the history of our area, the country and of significant historical events throughout the world. Where appropriate, we link historical studies with geography, literacy or art, depending on the topic being studied.

In line with the National Curriculum we aim to:

• help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
• equip pupils with the ability to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.
• ensure that pupils know and understand the history of some ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
• develop an understanding of historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
• gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history.

Implementation

• History is taught from Reception through to Year 6 by class teachers. Each year group aims to cover three historical topics during the year.
• Progression of history at Redstart is ensured by having a skills progression document outlining what skills will be taught when.

Chronology

Year 1: Sequence events or objects in chronological order. Describe memories of key events in their lives.

Year 2: Sequence artefacts closer together in time. Sequence events and photos from different periods of their life.

Year 3: Place the time studied on a timeline. Sequence events or artefacts. Use dates related to the passing of time.

Year 4: Place events from the period studied on a timeline. Use terms related to the period and begin to date events. Understand more complex terms such as BC/AD.

Year 5: Place current study on a timeline in relation to other studies. Know and sequence key events of the time studied. Use relevant terms and labels.

Year 6: Place current study on a timeline in relation to other studies. Use relevant dates and terms. Sequence events on a timeline. Make comparisons between different times in history.

Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge

Year 1: Begin to describe similarities and differences in artefacts. Understand why people did things in the past. Use a range of sources to find out characteristic features of the past.

Year 2: Find out about people and events in other times. Describe similarities and differences. Compare everyday lives of people in the time studied with our life today. Identify reasons for and results of people’s actions. Study change through the lives of significant individuals.

Year 3: Use evidence to reconstruct life in the time studied. Identify key features and events. Look for links and effects in the time studied. Develop a broad understanding of an ancient civilisation.

Year 4: Study different aspects of life of different people, including differences between men and women. Examine causes and results of great events and their impact on people. Compare an aspect of life with the same aspect in another period.

Year 5: Find out about beliefs, behaviour, and characteristics of people. Think about past events in terms of cause and effect using evidence. Know key dates, characters, and events of the time studied.

Year 6: Find out about beliefs, behaviour, and characteristics of people. Think about past events in terms of cause and effect using evidence. Know key dates, characters, and events of the time studied.

Historical Enquiry

Year 1: Recognise artefacts as “then” and “now”. Use a range of sources. Use speaking and listening (links to literacy) to ask and answer questions.

Year 2: Use a source to ask questions: why, what, who, how, where. Use timelines. Use a range of sources to find out about a period. Observe details in artefacts, pictures, etc. Select and record information.

Year 3: Build up a picture of a past event. Ask a variety of questions. Use the library and internet for research.

Year 4: Identify primary and secondary sources. Use evidence to build up a picture of life in the time studied. Select relevant sections of information. Confident use of library, iPads, Chromebooks, etc., for research.

Year 5: Recognise primary and secondary sources. Use a range of sources to find out about an aspect of the past. Bring knowledge gathered from several sources together in a fluent account.

Year 6: Recognise primary and secondary sources. Use a range of sources to find out about an aspect of the past. Bring knowledge gathered from several sources together in a fluent account.

Redstart history topics for the year are:

History Topics by Year

Year 1:

• History 1: Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
• History 2: Events beyond living memory – Great Fire of London.

Year 2:

• History 1: The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain (Boudica).
• History 2: The achievements of the earliest civilizations – Ancient Egyptians (Cleopatra).

Year 3:

• History 1: Britain’s settlement by Anglo Saxons and Scots The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor (Alfred the Great)..
• History 2: A local history study (Stringfellow, Margaret Bondfield).

Year 4:

• History 1: Tudors – a study of an aspect of British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 (Shakespeare).
• History 2: A non-European society – Mayan civilization AD 900.

Year 5:

• History 1: Victorians – a study of an aspect of British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 (Brunel and Dickens).
• History 2: A study of a theme in British history beyond 1066 – the changing nature of exploration (Raleigh, Fawcett, Cook, Shackleton).

Year 6:

• History 1: Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the Western World.
• History 2: WW2 – a study of a significant turning point in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.

Impact

The impact of history at Redstart is seen in a number of ways.

• Learning walks undertaken by the History lead and the school curriculum lead.
• Lesson observations
• Book scrutinies carried out by the History lead and the school curriculum lead.
• Discussions with children.

Records of these are kept in subject leader files and on the school drive.