Kirklevington

Primary School

Ready, Respectful and Safe

History

Article 28: Every child has the right to an education

Intent: What we are trying to achieve in our curriculum?

Our curriculum is designed to meet and address the needs of the children who attend our school. It is ambitious, inclusive, broad and balanced. It is designed to provide a progression of knowledge, skills and vocabulary with clear end points, at the end of key phases in school. The threads ‘Be Ready, Be Respectful and Be Safe’ provide the intent of our curriculum design and are implemented throughout History lessons.

Characteristic

What do we want to develop in our children at Kirklevington?

What does this look like in our School?

Be Ready

Be Ambitious – aim high, exposure to experts and role models, challenge provided in teaching knowledge, skills and vocabulary
  • Pupils use a variety of sources and artefacts to increase their understanding of how people’s lives have shaped our nation and how Britain has influenced and has been influenced by the wider world.
  • Learning through developing the key skills of questioning, investigating and evaluating, children develop a base of secure factual knowledge through appropriate support and challenge for all.
  • Our inclusive history curriculum progressively introduces knowledge, skills and vocabulary, with clear end points and expectations.
  • Children develop confidence in using and interpreting a range of primary and secondary sources.
  • Historical vocabulary is modelled and used appropriately by children within their independent and group work / class discussions.
  • Pupils develop their historical language as they progress through schools and have a wide-ranging vocabulary by the end of Key Stage 2.
  • Children are inspired to develop their curiosity to know more about the past and understand the achievements of earlier civilisations.
  • We aim to inspire children by providing memorable first-hand experiences through visits to historical local areas and museums.
  • Inspirational speakers and experts are invited into school to further develop children’s curiosity of a historical period.
  • We aim to equip pupils with diverse knowledge about how our world has developed throughout history.

 

Be Independent – Prepared for now, the next steps and for life
  • Children are encouraged to develop life skills that can be applied in a wide range of disciplines to prepare them to make a positive contribution to society.
  • Assessment is used to form meaningful and relevant judgements on a child’s progress and attainment at regular points throughout the year. Assessment, both formative and summative, informs planning and provision, addresses gaps in learning where these are evident and offers support and challenge where required.
  • Pupils learn life skills by understanding historical concepts and how their life experiences have changed (and been fought for) throughout history.
  • Children of an appropriate age can organise resources independently and use them effectively to support their learning.
  • Children are encouraged to think independently and their opinions are recognised through purposeful questioning.

 

Be Resilient – confident, develop self-regulation, well-being strategies and be problem solvers
  • Our curriculum enables children to develop confidence as resilient, critical thinkers, enquirers, researchers, independent problem solvers and analysts.
  • Pupils learn about changes through history and understand that this is a key part of life. They learn how setting small goals can amount to big things being achieved.
  • Children have the opportunity to solve problems and articulate their reasoning about historical concepts and discussions.

 

Be Respectful

Respectful behaviours – towards ourselves, our peers and others
  • Respectful behaviour is expected within all lessons. Peers can participate in class discussions and debates regarding history respectfully, with everyone’s opinion being listened to.
  • Children are respectful to each other when working in groups on case studies.

 

Respect rights -RRSA – Understand our rights, how they affect our lives and rights of children globally, celebrating differences
  • Teaching aims to equip pupils with knowledge about diverse cultures throughout history.
  • Pupils learn about historical issues in other parts of the world and how we can directly support change.
  • History lessons are linked to specific ‘Rights of the Child (UNICEF)’.
  • Children learn about the rights of children (and adults) throughout history in different geographical locations around the world.
  • Pupils research people from history and develop their understanding between our similarities and differences.

 

Respect the environment – our school, the community and the wider world
  • Children are expected to tidy away equipment they have used within lessons (when of an appropriate age).
  • We pay particular attention to what our local area can offer to our pupils as a springboard for their learning about history in each year group.

 

Be Safe

Keep ourselves safe – know how to report concerns and worries, including with friendships
  • Our school is a safe environment, where children can report any worries or concerns they have.
  • Children learn about historic events that may have caused harm or made life better for people.

 

Being safe in the school and community – Knowledge about, our families, the school, the local context and wider world
  • We aim to teaching children about our local history and allow opportunities to identify the similarities and differences that are prominent between now and the past.
  • Children learn how issues affecting communities have changed throughout history.

 

Being safe online –Using technology for the right reasons and knowing its limitations
  • Children understand how to use technology appropriately when it is being used within lessons.
  • Children learn about technological development throughout the ages.

Implementation

Within school, History is taught with the half term topic in mind. As a result of this, teachers provide students with a cross curricular education where possible, to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum. Planning is informed and aligned with the national curriculum. Staff identify the key knowledge and skills of each topic, which consequently allows for progression throughout each year group. Strong links between History and English are planned for, allowing in depth, contextual learning.

Across key stages, a range of teaching and learning styles are used to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding of history to enable children to think as historians. A vital part of this is enabling students to compare different periods of time with their own lives, therefore the children are taught about the history of their local area where possible. Teachers ensure to plan visits of educational sites to enhance learning experiences, ensuring learning is relevant, stimulating and real. History lessons are planned to allow not only for children to learn from the teacher, but also to discover their love of the subject themselves, through questioning and research.

The children’s work is regularly monitored to clarify that their understanding of the content taught is in line with the key knowledge needed. The way in which greater depth is being taught, learnt and demonstrated is reflected on, to ensure that each child is being taught inclusively with a rich, engaging curriculum.

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) staff follow ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance. This outlines the importance of all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.

History Whole School Progression Map of Knowledge and Skills
Whole School History Topics

Impact

The children’s work and understanding, reveal evidence of a broad and balanced curriculum. Formative teacher assessment of the Key Assessment Criteria sets out steps so that pupils reach or exceed the end of year group expectations. This enables teachers to gauge whether pupils are on track to meet their end of key stage expectations, and it pinpoints aspects of the curriculum where pupils are falling behind as well as recognising exceptional performance. Annual reports to parents outline each child’s achievement in history and provides details about pupils’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as the progress they have made.