At Earlsmead Primary School, we believe that History develops children's understanding of places and environments. Through their work in History, children gain an interest in the past and develop an understanding of how the past has influenced our lives today. Children must learn how to build or judge a historical argument from evidence and how these fit into current arguments and debates. This is achieved through practise with historical enquiry, understanding how evidence is used rigorously and to understand how and why previous historical interpretations of the past have been constructed. This allows children to find how change and continuity have influenced their own local area, Britain and other parts of the world.

At Earlsmead, History is taught following the Haringey Education Partnership Primary Humanities Curriculum. The curriculum was designed taking into account the scope, rigour, coherence and sequencing to make our children understand the knowledge they will need to thrive in life. History is taught with a specific enquiry question in mind, which guides the focus for the unit. Enquiry questions allow children to think as historians do and interact with real world arguments and discussions; such as, looking at the voices of the marginalised and disadvantaged and how this inspires us to new curiosities and to hear from more unheard voices of the past. Cross-curricular links are made with literacy lessons to further strengthen termly themes.

At Earlsmead, children’s work and school displays are evidence of a broad and balanced History curriculum and demonstrate children’s learning of substantive and disciplinary knowledge across the curriculum. Substantive knowledge is what children learn in lessons, such as the Romans or the Vikings. Disciplinary knowledge is how children interact with the subject of History to think as historians and make links with similarities and differences or looking at the cause and consequence of actions of the past. Children are given the opportunity to showcase what they know in big tasks at the end of each unit, through diagrams and writing, building on previous knowledge they have learnt. As children progress through the school, they develop a deep understanding of historical knowledge and thinking in the wider context of the world around them and about human beings over time.

Assessment

Assessment is used to monitor progress and to identify any child needing additional support as soon as they need it.

Formative assessment is used:

• • Weekly in class during lessons to identify children requiring additional support, so that misconceptions are addressed immediately

Summative assessment is used:

• • At the end of each unit to assess progress, to identify gaps in learning that needs to be addressed and identify small group additional support.