Scissett CE Academy

History

"I have really enjoyed finding out about Ancient Greece and what life was like and especially about Pegasus."  Year 5

"I like it because it is fascinating to see Knights in armour and wars.  We get to learn lots of new things."  Year 2

Intent - What are we trying to achieve?

 It is our intent that in studying History, pupils will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and its events, with the aim of also improving every child's cultural capital, understanding of the world around them and their own heritage.

At Scissett, we aim for a high quality history curriculum which should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about Britain's past and that of the wider world.

Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about the history of Britain and how it has influenced and been influenced by the wider world; know and understand about significant aspects of the history of the wider world like ancient civilisations and empires; changes in living memory and beyond living memory; learn about the lives of significant people of the past; understand the methods of historical enquiry and be able to ask and answer questions.

We want children to enjoy and love learning about history by gaining this knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits.

History at Scissett aims to be inspiring and motivating.  Inspiring; so children build thematic knowledge and apply to deepening questions.  Motivating; through engaging activities, trips and visitors that give all students an opportunity to question the past.

At Scissett CE Academy, we have designed our History curriculum with the intent that our children will:-

• Become increasingly critical and analytical thinkers
• Possess a secure understanding of the chronology of the British Isles and other important periods of History
• To discover links and connections to the History they learn and the wider community and locality
• Further their knowledge and explanations of change and continuity over time with regards to the history of the British Isles and other societies and periods
• Differentiate between source types and explain how interpretations in History may differ
• Draw on similarities and differences within given time frames and across previously taught History
• Enquire into historical themed questions and form their own opinions and interpretation of the past

Implementation - How do we translate our vision into practice?

We teach the National Curriculum through a designed topic, using a cross-curricular approach where appropriate, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression.  This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.

History teaching focuses on enabling children to think critically and provide excellent opportunities to enhance learning through investigations, analysing sources and writing extending pieces.

In Key Stage 1: Pupils develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.  They know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.  They use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.  They ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.  They understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

In Key Stage 2: Pupils 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.  They note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.  They regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.  They construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organistion of relevant historical information.  They are taught to understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. 

This will be scaffolded to support children to recall previous learning and make connections.  Staff will model explicitly and the subject-specific vocabulary, knowledge and skills relevant to the learning to allow them to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts.

A variety of teaching approaches are used on the teacher's judgement.  Where appropriate we use historical artefacts, visitors, workshops and visits to excite and intrigue our children to find our more about events and people from the past.  We aim to give our children as much understanding as possible about what it was like to be around at a particular period in history by having practical and experiential lessons where possible.

Our lessons scaffold to retain new facts and vocabulary in the children's long-term memory.

Learning will also take place through commemorative events.  Remembrance provides a time for children to come together to reflect on the services and sacrifices made and to join in with each other to provider a brighter, peaceful future.

Learning is representative of the past, including the study of diverse backgrounds and we then ensure we consider the cultural capital taught.

Impact - What is the impact of our curriculum on the students? 

By the time the children at Scissett leave our school they should have developed:

• A secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered.  The ability to think critically about history and communicate confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
• The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others' views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret and the past in different ways.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgements.
• An understanding of how significant historical events, people and places within their local area having been affected and changed due to events in the past.

Our Overview

Assessment and Key Skills Criteria

Useful Websites

The Historical Association

History Programmes of Study - Department of Education

What Learning Looks Like

       YEAR 5 ANCIENT GREEK DAY 

          YEAR 2 KNIGHTS AND CASTLES DAY

YEAR 4 VIKING VIDEO

Decades Day Spring 2023

In addition to our history coverage, we also held a Decades Day where we looked at more recent and relevant history to us as a school. Different classes studied decades from the 1950s to the 2000s. All classes worked on timelines and chronology, exploring our historical themes and researching; creating a museum which we and parents then visited.

Please click the link below to watch a video of our Decades Day in School.

Decades Day