History

Teaching Overview

History is taught as a block of lessons, usually over 2 to 3 weeks. A broad range of topics are covered to ensure there are clear sequences of learning and progression in both knowledge and skills.

There is a long term curriculum map in place, which ensures there is a broad and balanced coverage of foundation subjects across the school. Skills ladders have been developed to ensure there is progression within year groups as well across the school. From this, medium term plans are created for each half term and each year group, which show sequences of lessons focusing on the knowledge pupils will acquire within a topic for each of the foundation subjects. In Year 3 this year we have started to use Opening Worlds, which will carry over into Year 4, the next academic year.

What do you need to teach in the EYFS and Key Stage 1?

Pupils learn about their own lives, about their families and friends in the recent past and about people and events from the more distant past. In Year R pupils learn that there is a past by looking at Nursery rhymes and their own lives. In Year 1 they look at famous people and events, focusing on causes, consequences and what it was like to live in the distant past. By Y2 pupils will spend more time looking at change. Throughout the key stage pupils will explore historical sources, especially the pictorial and the artefactual.

What do you need to teach in Key Stage 2?

You will have two or three history study units to cover. Crucially important is the need to focus more on some skills and concepts than others, the one that the unit lends itself to. Most of the key questions concentrate on these skills or concepts. so your priority must be skill and concept development.

Recording

Work in the foundation subjects is recorded in curriculum books. These books should demonstrate the range of skills and knowledge taught, and should be of high quality in both content and presentation.