History Policy

Devonshire Primary Academy History Policy

Implementation Date: October 2013 Adopted by Governors/HT: HT Review period: 1 year Last review date: October 2013 Person responsible for policy: Mrs S Brady

Devonshire Primary Academy – History Statement of Policy for History This policy reflects the school values and philosophy in relation to the teaching and learning of History. It sets out a framework within which teaching and non-teaching staff can operate and gives guidance on planning, teaching and assessment.

The policy should be read in conjunction with the overview plan and Schemes of Work for History which sets out in detail what pupils in different year groups will be taught.

History fires pupils' curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world.

1. Aims

History is a foundation subject within the National Curriculum. To enable children to develop an interest and enthusiasm for the subject, this policy aims to:  help pupils to develop a knowledge and understanding of the historical content of the relevant programmes of study;  appreciate and begin to develop the skills and methodologies of the historian;  enable pupils to ask and answer questions using a range of historical sources,  develop a sense of chronology and to appreciate and understand the concept of change over long and shorter periods of history;  help pupils to appreciate how such change affected the every day lives of people in the past – this should be a central thread in the study of each unit;  teach pupils about the important events, episodes and developments which have shaped Britain’s past;  provide opportunities for children to learn more about the great ancient civilisations and how these continue to affect our lives today;  give pupils the opportunity to investigate aspects of local history, for example, the development of their own town in the nineteenth century and the reasons for it;  provide opportunities for children to make links between and across the different periods of history;  provide opportunities for children to develop and experience a range of crosscurricular skills, themes and dimensions through the teaching and learning of history;  help children to understand and appreciate that history is primarily the study of real people, real experiences and real lives.

Our aims in teaching history are that all children will:  gain knowledge with provides an understanding of the cultural heritage at local, national and international levels;  develop an understanding of the present through a study of the past;  develop an understanding of past events and issues from the perspective of people who lived in these times;  be excited by and develop an interest in history;  gain a sense of personal identity through the study of the past; 2

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develop an appreciation of the social, economic, political, cultural and aesthetic dimensions of history; develop the key concepts of time/chronology, cause/effect, continuity/change and similarity/difference.

The subject comprises Programmes of Study, Statements of Attainment and five key elements:  time, sequence and chronology (key element 1)  the important events, people and changes in the periods of history studied (key element 2a)  the causes and consequences of events and changes (key element 2b)  the differences between different periods in the past (key element 2c)  the links which can be made within and between different periods in the past (key element 2c)  the different ways in which people represent and interpret the past, and the reasons for this (key element 3a)  the skills which are needed to understand and use that which survives from the past to help us to find out more about the past (key element 4a)  to enable the children to select, organise and communicate what they have learned about the past using dates and terms relevant to the periods studied (key elements 5a, b and c).

The above Key Elements are organised into levels of increasing challenge across the Key Stages. Our pupils will work at the levels appropriate to their ability. It is expected that most children will achieve level 4 by age 11.

In the study of History children will experience a two-tiered approach through:a. an active learning approach through educational visits to historical sites and museum collections related to specific study units; b. an investigative approach within the classroom to encourage and develop independent and group research skills using a wide range of primary and secondary sources of evidence.

Teachers will provide a range of resources to help children to learn about the past including: written sources – both primary and secondary;  photographs, pictures and posters;  building and site visits;  visiting speakers and theatre groups;  TV and video material;  reference texts;  ICT reference material – CD Rom, Internet;  drama and role play – Greek / Victorian theme days, class assemblies;  out of school visits  museum loans service.

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Devonshire Primary Academy – History 2.

Principles of the Teaching and Learning of History

History is important because:  it considers how the past influences the present;  it develops a chronological knowledge of significant events and people;  pupils use evidence to draw their own conclusions.

History is a subject in the National Curriculum. The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts of the subject are set out in the National Curriculum subject documents.

3.

Curriculum and School Organisation

In order to achieve these aims History is organised into study units to form a Scheme of Work with opportunities for both single subject study and integrated subject study.

Within the Scheme of Work learning activities are sequenced to ensure continuity and progression. These are taught through: direct teaching  discussion  providing pupils with real experiences  ICT  teacher prepared materials  VAK activities  Research/investigative projects  various events which can involve parental support both in and out of school, for example, research projects to be undertaken at home (such as Learning Log entries), class assemblies, curriculum days and educational visits.

4.

Subject Planning and Evaluation

Planning is carried out on a weekly basis between class teachers in year groups to ensure continuity and avoid unnecessary duplication or omission.

The subject co-ordinator is Mrs S Brady. The Schemes of Work are allocated to year groups and are time-tabled on an irregular basis but so that the relevant study units are taught over the Key Stage.

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Devonshire Primary Academy – History 5.

Time Allocation

Subject teaching is planned so that annually approximately 5% of teaching time is allocated to the study of History across KS2.

Planning is used to: set clear, achievable goals,  ensure work is matched to pupils’ abilities, experience and interests,  ensure progression, continuity and subject coverage throughout the school,  develop assessment procedures,  provide criteria for evaluation of teaching and learning.

Curriculum planning is carried out weekly with the study unit duration. The format used is the school model and uses Programmes of Study, the relevant Key Elements and the Attainment Target level descriptions to establish clear learning objectives and desired outcomes for each lesson. Planning is the responsibility of individual teachers, specific year group teachers and the History co-ordinator.

Plans are made available to the Headteacher and curriculum / subject coordinators.

6.

Class Organisation and Teaching Styles

Within classes pupils are taught: individually to promote independent working skills,  in groups – both like and mixed ability – to promote teamwork and co-operation,  as a whole class.

Sometimes a combination of the above might be used depending on the task and learning objective.

Cross-curricular links have been identified with Maths, English, Science, Design and Technology, Geography and Art. History provides opportunities to consider the following cross-curricular themes: economic and industrial understanding  health education  environmental education  citizenship  European awareness And cross-curricular dimensions: personal and social education  developing an awareness of and the need for equal opportunities, gender equality and cultural diversity.

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Devonshire Primary Academy – History 7.

Excellence in History

This is celebrated in display and performance including: the mounting of children's work, be it individual pieces, group or whole class efforts;  feedback by children to the rest of the class both orally and visually;  class and whole group assemblies showing a celebration of class topic work;  individual or group performance highlighting activities of an historical nature;  showing other classes samples of work.

8.

Assessment in History

Formative assessment is used to guide the progress in individual pupils in history.

It is also used to:  plan future teaching and learning in the long and medium term;  provide summative information to teachers;  provide information for parents;  teacher-pupil discussion and teacher questioning.

It involves identifying each child's progress, determining what each child has learned and what therefore should be the next stage in his/her learning. Teachers in the course of their teaching mostly carry out formative assessment informally.

Suitable tasks for assessment include:  small group discussions, perhaps in the context of a practical task;  specific assignments for individual pupils;  individual discussions in which children are encouraged to appraise their won work and progress;  class circle activities where children off suggestions and answers to teacher led tasks.  Ongoing teaching assessments of pupil's written work and performance on tasks.

Records of progress in history kept for each child contain:  a yearly report of progress to parents through a written report;  a record of the level children are working at is recorded in the co-ordinator file (a sample of ability range from each class).

Written work is marked according to the school marking policy.

Pupil assessment is the responsibility of: the Headteacher,  the class teacher,  the subject / curriculum co-ordinator,  the assessment co-ordinator.

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Devonshire Primary Academy – History

History assessment procedures are moderated by the subject co-ordinator and the SMT. History assessment procedures are evaluated by the SMT. Reporting to parents is intended to give a clear and helpful picture of pupils’ progress. Parents of all pupils receive a written report each year in early July.

This report complies with statutory requirements and provides parents with information regarding academic achievement in History, progress in school and other skills and abilities. Reports are completed by the class teacher and signed by the Headteacher. In addition parents are invited to attend parents’ evenings in the Autumn and Spring terms to discuss their child’s progress. Formal or informal meetings may also by arranged with the Headteacher or class teacher at a mutually convenient time.

9.

Co-ordinator Role

The role of the History co-ordinator is described in the relevant job description.

In planning the co-ordinator should: review and contribute to teacher planning;  prepare policy and Schemes of Work;  prepare a subject development plan in accordance with the school development plan.

The co-ordinator will assist staff by: leading staff meetings,  planning/leading INSET activities,  in-class teaching support,  specifying and ordering all resources,  co-ordinating staff requests for resources,  monitoring and maintaining condition and availability of resources.

The co-ordinator’s responsibility for monitoring and evaluation includes: reviewing teachers’ plans;  regular review of pupils’ work and standards;  classroom observation;  leading curriculum review meetings;  designing and carrying out specific evaluation.

The co-ordinator’s professional development will include: work with all age groups in the school; 7

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personal reading; opportunities to visit and observe practice in other schools; access to external INSET / Advisory teachers.

Resources and Accommodation

An inventory of the range of resources can be found in the History Resource File, which the history co-ordinator has. It outlines the range of materials (text and reference books, teacher resources, video, audio, posters and ICT resources) for each topic.

It is the responsibility of teachers and subject co-ordinator to review the use of resources and accommodation.

11.

Equal Opportunities

It is the responsibility of all teachers to ensure that all pupils, irrespective of gender, ability, ethnicity and social circumstance, have access to the curriculum and make the greatest progress possible. Please refer to School Equal Opportunities Policy.

12.

S.E.N.

All pupils will have access to a broad, balanced curriculum which includes History.

The provision for pupils with S.E.N. in history is the responsibility of the class teacher in consultation with S.E.N. Co-ordinator where appropriate. Please refer to the School S.E.N. Policy.

13.

Cross-curricular skills and themes

Links between history and the cross-curricular themes are identified by: class teacher;  curriculum co-ordinator,  scheme of work as follows: European Awareness  Environment Education  Citizenship 8

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Health Education Economic and Industrial Understanding.

Teacher planning provides opportunities to develop skills of literacy, numeracy and use of ICT.

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