History

At Canon Burrows, History is seen as an important subject area. We engage pupils with a relevant, exciting and challenging History curriculum which inspires curiosity and is appropriate for preparing them for an adult life in the 21^st century. History is essential since it:

• Helps the learner to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as the challenges of their time. This allows the children to show their Christian value of courage.
• Develops skills of critical thinking which means making reasoned judgements that are logical and well thought out and not merely accepting arguments and conclusions as they are presented but having a healthy, discerning and questioning attitude about new information. This allows the children to show their Christian value of truth;
• Supports the learner to appreciate that all knowledge is socially constructed and its objectivity and reliability is therefore open to challenge and question through asking perceptive questions, weighing evidence, sifting arguments and developing perspective and judgement. This allows the children to show their Christian value of perseverance;
• Builds a sense of identity and belonging on a personal, cultural, national and global level as learners come to appreciate the diversity of human experience and consequently understand more about themselves and as members of society. This allows the children to show their Christian values of responsibility;
• Enables the learner to understand core concepts and most notably cause and consequence, similarity and difference, continuity and change, change and progress/regression, significance, evidence, chronology, empathy, context, diversity, perspective, interconnectivity and validity which have broad relevance and significance in the modern world. This allows the children to show their Christian value of compassion;

History forms an integral and statutory element of a pupil’s entitlement to learning and at our school. We ensure that all pupils can engage with historical learning and develop as young historians. Mutual respect and the fostering of empathy and community understanding at local, regional, national and global scales lies at the heart of the study of History. We model this in terms of the inclusive nature of the learning and teaching we provide.

History Curriculum Intent:

We aim for our children to leave our school with the ability to understand the chronological events of history alongside significant people who have made an impact on our society today. We would hope this approach to our history curriculum, with the guidance of the National Curriculum, will help our children to become well-rounded individuals.

Our history curriculum believes that learning about significant events and people throughout history will lay the foundations of an enquiring and curious mind. By exposing our children to a wide range of historical knowledge and interpretations, we aim for them to question and develop their own ideas and opinions.

Our local area has a rich and diverse history. This is incorporated into our history curriculum. By studying our local areas, we can begin to develop an understanding of how lives for people today are influenced by the past and help the children form those connections. 

By providing a diverse and engaging history curriculum, we hope to give children the opportunities to explore and expand their own interests in history. We provide the children with the foundation for them to build upon themselves.

Implementation:

Our History scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers who develop a complex knowledge of local and national history and the history of the wider world. We want pupils to develop the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and be able to explain and analyse historical evidence.

We aim to build an awareness of significant events and individuals in global, British and local history and recognise how things have changed over time. History will support children to appreciate the complexity of people’s lives, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Studying History allows children to appreciate the many reasons why people may behave in the way they do, supporting children to develop empathy for others while providing an opportunity to learn from mankind’s past mistakes. The scheme aims to support pupils in building their understanding of chronology in each year group, making connections over periods of time and developing a chronologically-secure knowledge of History.

We hope to develop pupils’ understanding of how historians study the past and construct accounts and the skills to carry out their own historical enquiries. In order to prepare pupils for their future learning in History, our scheme aims to introduce them to key substantive concepts including power, invasion, settlement and migration, empire, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of humankind, society and culture. 

Kapow Primary’s History scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of Key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum and the aims also align with those set out in the National Curriculum.

Over the course of the scheme, children develop their understanding of the following key disciplinary
concepts:
• Change and continuity.
• Cause and consequence.
• Similarities and differences.
• Historical significance.
• Historical interpretations.
• Sources of evidence.

These concepts will be encountered in different contexts during the study of local, British and world history. Accordingly, children will have varied opportunities to learn how historians use these skills to analyse the past and make judgements. They will confidently develop and use their own historical skill set. As children progress through the Kapow scheme, they will create their own historical enquiries to study using sources and the skills they have developed.

Substantive concepts such as power, trade, invasion and settlement, are introduced in Key stage 1, clearly identified in Lower key stage 2 and revisited in Upper key stage 2 (see Progression of skills and knowledge) allowing knowledge of these key concepts to grow. These concepts are returned to in different contexts, meaning that pupils begin to develop an understanding of these abstract theme which are crucial to their future learning in History.

Impact:

The expected impact of following the Kapow History scheme of work is that children will:
● Know and understand the history of Britain, how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
● Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, non-European societies and the achievements of mankind.
● Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts - power, invasion, settlement and migration, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of mankind and society.
● Form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.
● Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.
● Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.
● Ask historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts.
● Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.
● Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.
● Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for History.

Files to Download