History

INTENT
Our History curriculum includes half termly topics informed by the national curriculum and Development Matters for all children from Nursery to Year 6. We aim to offer a broad and ambitious history education that will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our History curriculum is accessible to all, maximising the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more. It will inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and is structured to ensure that learning is sequential and cumulative.

The history curriculum links to the golden threads through:
• The awareness of the wider world
                 History expands children’s knowledge of different countries and cultures around the world and their place in history.
• Preparing children for life in modern Britain
                Learning about different cultures, about how modern Britain is multicultural and gaining a sense of empathy from past events and figures.
• Challenging Stereotypes
                Discovering different points of view throughout history.

The teaching of history will equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups. It also helps children gain a sense of their own identity within a social, political, cultural and economic background. Because of this, we feel it is important for the subject to be taught discretely as well as incorporated within other curriculum subjects such as English and Art.

IMPLEMENTATION
Our History curriculum aims to excite the children and allow them to develop their own skills as historians. We use the Cornerstones Curriculum to help us to achieve this aim. This is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the Primary National Curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school.

By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece and the Mayans. They will be able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. To ensure connections and comparisons can be made, each KS2 history topic must focus on five aspects: food, clothing, houses, beliefs and achievements. By doing so, children can build a bank of knowledge of how these different aspects have developed throughout history. Each history topic is supported by a topic box of resources, which includes costumes, primary and secondary sources, and knowledge organisers.

Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional history learning outside the classroom. At Thornaby Church of England Primary School, the children have many opportunities to experience history on educational visits. The children will explore local museums and engage with visitors in school to share history learning and participate in ‘hands on’ experiences.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follow the Development Matters non-statutory guidance for Early Years Foundation Stage which aims for all children in Reception reach the ELG Past and Present by the end of their reception year. This includes understanding the past through stories, identifying similarities and differences between then and now, which lays the foundations of children’s understanding of the past and how it influences life today.

IMPACT
The history curriculum at Thornaby is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills together with discreet vocabulary progression within the units of work. Outcomes in topic and literacy books, evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
• Marking of written work in books.

Policy for History

Long term plan

Disciplinary skills grid

Substantive skills grid

Letter to parents for Queen’s Jubilee. 

In May 2022, the whole school took part in celebrations for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.  Each child designed and painted a piece of bunting that was displayed within the school.  The children learnt about the different decades of the Queen’s reign and produced a Time Tunnel through the ages.  The whole school enjoyed a picnic one afternoon where we enjoyed sandwiches and biscuits and listened to each year group singing a song from the decades. There were even prizes for the best crown made in each class.

Black History Month

October was Black History Month, and each year group was given a different individual or event from British history to discover and learn about. The children found out about their person or event and produce a display of what they had learnt.

• Year 1 – Walter Tull
• Tear 2 – Mary Seacole
• Year 3 – Ivory Bangle Lady
• Year 4 – Olaudah Equiano
• Year 5 – The Windrush Generation
• Year 6 – The Bristol Bus Boycott.

Death of Queen Elizabeth II

We at Thornaby C of E Primary School were saddened by the news of the passing of our Queen and head of our Church, Elizabeth II. She had a long and eventful reign, the longest in British history. To mark her passing, the children and staff were asked to sign a Book of Condolences which was sent to Buckingham Palace.