History Curriculum Statement

History at The Federation of St Edmund's & St Joseph's Catholic Primary Schools aims to support children to gain a broad understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.

The History Long Term plan has been developed and updated to ensure coverage and progression across the whole school. This has been carefully considered to consolidate cross curricular links with English, Geography, Science and other areas of learning. Through the use of the Collins scheme and linked Knowledge Organisers, pupils gain a clear comprehension of a range of historical topics. Knowledge Organisers are developed by year group teachers to ensure they include all necessary vocabulary, key facts, timelines and home learning links. Each topic is placed on a broader global timeline to enable the children fully grasp the chronology of when events happened, where societies lived and how they interacted together.

Teaching inspires pupils to ask insightful questions and equips them to think critically, assessing evidence, scrutinising arguments and developing the confidence to voice their own views. Pupils’ sense of curiosity is nurtured to encourage them to think about the past critically. Their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways is developed progressively. Emphasis is placed on the difference between validated evidence from the time, and compared with post-dated secondary evidence.

Our History curriculum is enriched through the involvement of drama, use of artefacts, visitors to the school and day trips. Home learning links secure and personalise learning through discussion of real-life events with family members from different generations.

At the end of each topic, pupils are given the opportunity to demonstrate their substantive and disciplinary knowledge through well-planned essays using ‘structure strips’ and multiple-choice quizzes. These assessments, allowing each pupil to showcase their knowledge and understanding.