Scholes (Holmfirth) Junior and Infants
History Curriculum Statement
Staff Responsible: Mrs E. Knight
Introduction
This document outlines the purpose, nature and management of the teaching and learning of History in our school. It reflects the views of all the current teaching staff and was drawn up as part of whole-staff INSET training. It has the full agreement of all subject leaders. The implementation of the subject is the responsibility of all staff in school and will be monitored by the SLT and subject leader(s). An action plan is linked to this curriculum area in order to develop the subject within our changing school.
The Nature of History
At Scholes (Holmfirth) J and I School, we aim to provide a high-quality history curriculum that will inspire a curiosity and interest in Britain's past and that of the wider world. The curriculum we provide will equip learners with knowledge and understanding about significant aspects of history highlighted in the National Curriculum. Pupil's will be develop an increasing knowledge and understanding of people's lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity. Scholes ‘Big Ideas’ for history are ‘Health and Social Development’, ‘Shaping the Future’, ‘Settlement’, ‘Strong Women’, ‘Diversity and Equality’ and ‘Power and Conflict’. These Big Ideas thread through our history curriculum, allowing children to make links and reinforce their understanding of these concepts.
Intent
The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:
know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
understand 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 their own 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; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
Through our CLEAR intent, we ensure that learning is planned thoroughly around the distinct needs of children at Scholes School.
Communicative
We aspire for our children to be able to articulate their Historical thinking. In History, lessons are driven through the development of oracy skills and their expansion and use of Historical vocabulary. Through this they show historical knowledge and conceptual understanding.
This is demonstrated through:
Questioning by teachers and pupils
Partner and group discussions
Explaining and evaluating through verbal and written work
Drama/ role play
Vocabulary used by teachers and pupils
In History, we ensure that pupils reflect back on, and have a good understanding of historical knowledge and vocabulary, taught in previous year groups within every unit. This ensures that pupils have a solid vocabulary and knowledge base on which to build. Pupils can then progress by learning and applying the new vocabulary from within the unit, whilst also using the previously gained knowledge.
Local
At Scholes, we draw upon the richness of our local area. Where possible, we use the local area for Historical visits and research:
In Reception, pupils share news of events from home and the community, using vocabulary of time.
In Year 1, pupils explore changes in their own lives, local people’s lives and changes to our school. They visit a local museum to learn about life as Victorian servant.
In Year 2, pupils learn about Scholes Village, focusing on settlement and health and social development. They also explore Hepworth and its links to the Plague.
In Year 3, pupils learn about Castle Hill as an Iron Age hillfort.
In Year 5, pupils learn about Viking settlements and find towns with specific suffixes e.g. -krik/ -thwaite, as well as learning about the Viking capital of York.
In Year 6, pupils learn about the Holmfirth Flood and its impact on settlement and health and social development.
Enriched
Our History curriculum provides children with new and exciting opportunities and experiences that they would not necessarily have access to away from school. These opportunities allow the children to deepen and apply their historical knowledge in real life contexts. For example, Year 1 museum visit, artefact boxes from local museums, drama and role play opportunities.
Ambitious
At Scholes all areas of our history curriculum are ambitious for all children. The history curriculum is adapted, designed and developed to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, developing their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know and can do with increasing fluency and independence. Work is differentiated as appropriate to pupils’ needs, and is designed to be challenging for all children, but support is there for them to experience success.
Remembered
History lessons include frequent forwards and backwards referencing to link learning within units and across year groups. Opportunities are given to recap knowledge and vocabulary taught previously, using retrieval
practise techniques, allowing children to make connections in their learning. At the end of each unit, pupils take part in a post unit quiz. This allows the teacher to see what has been remembered by pupils. It is useful to reflect back on in the planning of other units. All planning is shared in school, so that subsequent teachers can use this to inform their history planning where necessary. Key vocabulary is identified on planning which is continually reinforced to support learning. Teachers can adapt their teaching input and explanations to ensure that misconceptions are corrected throughout
Implementation
Organisation and Planning
History at Scholes (Holmfirth) J and I School is taught according to the Key stage guidance as part of the 2014 National Curriculum. History is linked to other curriculum areas where appropriate.
History is taught using a variety of teaching and learning styles. Our principal aim is to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding in history and we use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our history lessons. We believe in whole-class teaching methods and combine these with enquiry-based research activities. We believe children learn best when:
-They have access to, and are able to handle artefacts
-They go on visits to places of interest
-They have access to secondary sources such as books and photographs
-They listen to and interact with stories from the past
-They undertake fieldwork by interviewing family and older friends about changes in their own and other people’s lives
-They use drama to act out historical events
-They are shown, or use independently, resources from the internet and videos
-They are able to use non-fiction books for research
-They are provided with opportunities to work independently or collaboratively, to ask as well as answer historical questions.
Staff plan using the whole-school medium-term planning format, using the predetermined components and composites for the topic. The school requires no particular level of short-term planning as this is the responsibility of teaching staff to determine themselves. Staff are free to include the level of detail on their medium-term planning which they find sufficient for themselves to teach (or another member of staff to teach in the event of absence).
See our EYFS policy for information on how our early years curriculum is delivered.
Continuity and Progression
Senior Leaders and the History Lead mapped out the units of work. Components, composites and big ideas for these units have been allocated, ensuring statutory objectives from the National Curriculum have been covered and that there is progression through school. Class teachers plan activities to ensure these objectives are covered across the half term unit. The subject leader will ensure that all objectives have been taught by the end of each key stage.
Cross Curricular Links
Teachers at Scholes School make links across the curriculum where necessary and appropriate to focus on the desired learning objective.
Examples of links are as follows:
Geographical links are established when identifying where different historical events happen and types of land use
Design Technology links occur when examining and making certain artefacts e.g. beach huts/ Viking houses and cooking e.g. Anglo Saxon Stew
Art, particularly drawing and sketching, is used to record information. Links are also made through Stone Age art work and Greek clay work.
English skills are used throughout many units including comprehension and extended writing pieces, as well as reinforcing writing skills when recording information.
Teachers are free to organise their curriculum timetable and are encouraged to be creative in their delivery to provide:
appropriate challenge for all abilities;
a variety of learning tasks;
opportunities for discovery;
correction of misconceptions;
appropriate assessment – predominantly formative activities.
Resources
School has some historical resources available for different units of work. ‘Museum in a Box’ resources are also available to borrow from The Tolson Museum, Huddersfield.
Inclusion
Teachers set high expectations for all pupils. They will use appropriate assessment to plan challenging work for all groups, including:
• More able pupils
• Pupils with low prior attainment
• Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Pupils with SEND
• Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL)
Teachers will plan lessons so that pupils with SEND can study every National Curriculum subject, wherever possible, and ensure that there are no barriers to every pupil achieving.
Teachers will also take account of the needs of pupils whose first language is not English. Lessons will be planned so that teaching opportunities help pupils to develop their English, and to support pupils to take part in all subjects.
Further information can be found in our statement of equality information and objectives, and in our SEND policy and information report.
Impact
Recording and Assessment
There is no one defined example of ‘best practice’ within History. Staff are trusted to ensure children’s work reflects the learning completed at an appropriate level. Examples of this include:
Pupils record initial conclusions following an exploration of a concept, these are then shared with the group/class and developed into a shared understanding and the teacher records the ‘final’ conclusion to be added to pupil books.
Pupils take part in a practical activity linked to an area of the History curriculum, the teacher/ETA takes photos as evidence and then this is presented as a ‘write up’ from the teacher in books.
Pupils write about their learning in a standard format (with appropriate scaffolds as necessary)
Pupils research a figure/specific area from History and record their findings in their books in a way of their own choosing.
Teachers are encouraged to promote exploration and discovery within history and to steer away from ‘standard formats’ of recording – eg. Twinkl worksheets. Whilst covering all the statutory requirements of the curriculum, they allow less freedom for pupil’s ideas.
There is no formal written summative assessment requirement for History at Scholes School. Teachers plan their history lessons using components, composites and big ideas within the objectives from the 2014 National Curriculum. Children take a pre and post topic quiz in order to identify how much the children know at the start of a unit and how much knowledge they have retained by the end of the unit. Teachers then record an overall teacher assessment at the end of each term on SONAR. Teachers are encouraged to access SONAR as they see appropriate so the task does not become too onerous. Teachers then also use this information diagnostically to plan learning appropriately and revisit where necessary.
Monitoring
Monitoring of History at Scholes (Holmfirth) J and I is carried out in a variety of ways. These include:
Work scrutiny to explore specific, pre-discussed aspects of teaching.
Observations where appropriate – these are usually linked to SIP requirements or Performance Management objectives
Peer observations are encouraged for staff to explore teaching styles and activities in a less formal way than observation
Pupil discussions may be used to gain insight to knowledge recall and attitudes towards History.
Medium-term planning will be monitored for the subject leader to develop and update the wholeschool long-term plan