History

Purpose of study

A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Aims

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 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. History –

• 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.

The National Curriculum

History at Causeway Green Primary School

At Causeway Green, our History curriculum aims to inspire our pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. We equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, build a chronological framework, make comparisons across time periods, understand the cause of significant events and understand their consequences, as well as scrutinising the validity of evidence and relating history to their own lives. The teaching of History helps pupils to understand the process of change, the diversity of societies and how historical people and events have impacted our society today.

History is taught weekly over three half terms, each academic year. Our Curriculum has been developed around the interests and needs of our children with an awareness and understanding of how the past has shaped the world that we live in today. Our History topics are based around answering enquiry questions. The sequence of lessons is carefully considered to ensure that children build on their knowledge and skills in chronological order.

At Causeway Green, we aim to provide quality teaching and learning of History to promote:

·An understanding of life in the present by exploring the past.

·A curiosity and inquisitiveness about life in the past.

·A knowledge of significant events in British history and an appreciation of how societies and people have changed over time.

·A sense of chronology.

·An enjoyment and appreciation of the richness of the past.

·An understanding of society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of their cultural heritage.

·An understanding of historical concepts such as cause/consequence, continuity and change, etc.

·An understanding of how evidence is used to make historical claims.

·Perspective between local and international history encompassing all areas of history, such as political and religious.

There are opportunities for pupils of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each teaching unit, the progression planned into the scheme of work means that, the pupils are increasingly challenged as they move through the school.

Our History Subject Lead is Mr Mark Chatterley