At St Helens we provide a high-quality, ambitious and knowledge-rich history curriculum that inspires curiosity about Britain’s past and the wider world. We want pupils to understand how the past has shaped the society they live in today and to recognise the importance of human dignity across different times and cultures.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure clear progression in both substantive knowledge (historical facts, events, people and vocabulary) and disciplinary knowledge (how historians investigate and interpret the past). Pupils develop secure chronological understanding and revisit key concepts such as cause and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, significance and interpretation throughout their learning.

Through the study of British history and its global connections, pupils learn about ancient civilisations and empires, significant individuals, changes within living memory and diverse experiences across time. This ensures they develop a coherent understanding of the past and how Britain has both influenced and been influenced by the wider world.

Historical enquiry lies at the heart of our teaching. Pupils are taught to ask perceptive questions, analyse and evaluate sources, consider different interpretations and communicate their ideas using precise historical vocabulary. This develops critical thinking, strengthens reasoning and builds confidence in constructing informed arguments.

Our curriculum is ambitious for all learners. Careful scaffolding, explicit vocabulary instruction and inclusive teaching approaches ensure that every pupil can access and succeed in history while being appropriately challenged.

We enrich learning through high-quality texts, artefacts, workshops, visitors and educational visits, strengthening cultural capital and bringing history to life.

By the end of primary school, pupils leave with secure chronological knowledge, well-developed enquiry skills and a genuine fascination with the past, ready for the next stage of their historical learning.