How We Learn History

How we Learn History at Earith Primary School: Intent, Implementation & Impact

Intent To develop all children’s understanding of their place in the world; to promote curiosity and fascination – to become an active learner with a passion for history.

To develop well-rounded and successful historians, informed by the National Curriculum, and exposed to planned and differentiated lessons, taught with a clear history objective To develop a knowledge of chronology within which children can organise their understanding of the past.

EYFS History in the EYFS Framework falls predominantly under the Understanding the World Area of Learning. The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning are threaded through all aspects of learning and are the fundamental ways in which children within EYFS learn. During the Early Years, children will be developing knowledge, skills and understanding, which will prepare them for the Year 1 curriculum.

Children will:  talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society  know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class  understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

KS1 Children will develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time Children will be taught about:  changes within living memory  events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally

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the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.

KS2 Children will continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.

Children will be taught about:  changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age  the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain  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  a local history study  a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066  the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China  Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world  a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300

Implementation The long-term plan for History ensures coverage of the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum, for all children during their time at Earith Primary School. Using Primary Knowledge Curriculum, Plan Bee or other resources, teachers write medium term plans, identifying the key concept/concepts that will be addressed. They identify the key knowledge and skills which will be taught during each unit of work, pose key questions and identify the subject specific vocabulary that will be met.

Where relevant, for example, at the start of every new topic, teachers refer to a timeline indicating the current period being studied; making reference to previous eras/time periods already studied in relation to the current year e.g. 2022 in order to further enhance children’s sense of chronology.

Knowledge organisers are used to support learning at the teachers’ discretion.

Children will be clear about what they are learning.

Key vocabulary and facts linked to the historic context being taught, will be shared and displayed as appropriate in order to develop children’s understanding of key facts/people/events.

We will endeavour to use a combination of the following sources throughout the academic year in order to complement learning and provide an interesting hook/stimulus (paramount to capturing children’s interest): examine artefacts; replicas, books, photographs, historical stories and websites such as the National Archives and Historic England. We will also make use of teaching approaches such as drama, re-enactments and the ‘Flashing Image’ technique. Where real life imagery, old photographs or impressionist paintings/pictures are available we will use them (cartoon images are to be avoided in order to expose pupils to original sources) As a school, we mark significant historical events e.g. Remembrance Day.

Assessment: Planning is mapped out in our curriculum cycles and the progression of skills is tracked by teachers using the Chris Quigley Curriculum Milestones and used to inform medium term plans, which support differentiation in mixed age classes.

Live, verbal feedback, is used to support and challenge children’s development in History.

Target Tracker is used to teacher assess attainment.

End of unit quizzes may be used to further bolster knowledge retention and love for this subject.

Impact The impact of the History curriculum is measured in several ways: Formative assessment:

Teachers respond to the day-to-day emergent needs of pupils, providing support and feedback during the lesson and in informing the next steps for subsequent lessons.

Summative assessment: Teacher assessment is made termly on Target Tracker Knowledge assessment: Using the school’s knowledge assessment cycle, children take part in cyclical quizzes at multiple points throughout the year.

In EYFS, Target Tracker is updated termly, using additional documentation, such as Development Matters, to support. At the end of the Reception Year, judgements are made against the Past and Present Early Learning Goal.

Leadership: The History lead engages with and leads on History CPD and ensures that they and all staff have the subject knowledge necessary to deliver the History curriculum.

The History lead monitors the History curriculum by using a range of sources including lesson visits/typicality walks, planning scrutinies and pupil learning conversations. These sources form the basis of evaluating the impact of the curriculum, strengths and emerging priorities.

The History lead reports to the Curriculum lead.