History
As historians at St Andrew's we...
At St Andrew's CE Primary, the History curriculum is designed to create a bridge between today’s world and the myriad fascinating worlds of the past, which automatically provokes questions from pupils. Tempered and channelled correctly, its study can turn this naturally occurring curiosity into the development of tools every pupil needs in order to be able to express their thoughts and positively engage with the world around them.
At St Andrew's, History is taught as a discrete subject in order that the development of knowledge and skills is taught meaningfully and explicitly. Naturally, links are made to other areas of the curriculum but this does not dilute the quality and entitlement of high quality History teaching.
The school’s long term plan for History sets out the content of teaching within in each year group. This is supported by the school’s History progression document which demonstrates learning outcomes within each strand of development within a History unit. Short term planning details how this content is developed over a series of lessons within the unit of work. The organisation of the History curriculum provides structured opportunities for pupils to:
gain a coherent, chronological knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world
develop a deep understanding of history, by connecting new knowledge with existing knowledge
contribute to a connected network of ideas and knowledge across the curriculum
develop and appreciate the cultural capital that they need to succeed in life
engender an appreciation of human achievement and an understanding of its development
be introduced to the language and vocabulary of History
be introduced to key historical skills such as oracy and argument
make reasoned arguments about historical influences on current development and sustainability issues
explore how the actions of people in the past have led to some of the global problems we face today
understand the impact their choices can have on the future
develop knowledge of other societies, cultures and beliefs
understand the impact values and beliefs have on the decisions and actions of individuals, organisations and governments, made today
understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups
explore their own identity, values and beliefs
At St Andrew's, we value the development of technical vocabulary and strive to ensure our children understand terminology so they can articulate their thoughts with competence and confidence in different contexts.