History

History

Intent

At The Oaks Primary School, we aim to build an awareness of significant events and individuals in global, British and local history and recognise how things have changed over time. We do this by inspiring the children to consider how events and people have shaped the way we live our lives and how history will shape our future. By knowing about the past children develop an understanding of their own identity and this equips them to ask questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and justified judgements. In addition to, understand the process of change and the diversity of societies developing their empathy for others. Our aim, at The Oaks, is for the children to leave us with a deeper understanding of what it is to ‘think like a historian’.

Implementation

Teachers at The Oaks understand the importance of historical knowledge being shaped by disciplinary approaches, topic’s to create engaging and enriching learning experiences which allow the children to investigate history as historians do. The children also focus on chronology to allow them to explore the place in time of the period they are studying and make comparisons in other parts of the world. We do this by following the Kapow schemes of work for History.

Early Years Foundation Stage

In EYFS, children explore the concept of history by reflecting on key experiences from their own past, helping them understand that they each have their own histories. Then, they engage in activities to compare and contrast characters from stories, including historical figures, deepening their understanding of how individual lives fit into broader historical narratives.

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1 children further develop their awareness of the past and will know where people and events fit chronologically. This will support children in building a ‘mental timeline’ they can refer to throughout their learning journey and identifying connections, contrasts and trends over time.

Children will develop their understanding of the following key disciplinary concepts:

• Change and continuity.

• Cause and consequence.

• Similarities and differences.

• Historical significance.

• Historical interpretations.

• Sources of evidence.

These concepts will be encountered in different contexts during the study of local, British and world history. Accordingly, children will have varied opportunities to learn how historians use these skills to analyse the past and make judgements. They will confidently develop and use their own historical skill set.

The substantive concepts such as power, trade, invasion and settlement, are also introduced in Key stage 1.

Impact

By the end of Key Stage 1 children will:

Know and understand the history of Britain, how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world, empires, non-European societies and the achievements of mankind.
Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts - power, invasion, settlement and migration, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of mankind and society.
Form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.
Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.
Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.
Ask historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts.
Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.
Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.
Meet the relevant Early Learning Goals at the end of EYFS (Reception) and the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for History at the end of Key stage 1.