Intent
At SS. Mary and John’s Primary Catholic Academy we believe that a high-quality History education will inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Pupils will gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. History lessons 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, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. We believe that our curriculum should be meaningful and relevant to the pupils we teach.
Implementation
Our curriculum provides a progressive sequence of lessons that allow the children to build a sense of chronology. At SS. Mary and John’s, we believe that progress is made through securing prior knowledge and building upon it. We use an enquiry approach to learning where units are built around a key question and inspire a natural curiosity about the past. Historical vocabulary is introduced, modelled and reinforced throughout a unit of work through definition, repetition and application. Pupils are provided with many wider opportunities to learn and apply new skills outside the classroom through concrete experiences and educational visits. Reactivation tasks are planned carefully to ensure children know and remember more.
EYFS explore History themes and content through the Understanding of the World strand of the EYFS curriculum. As children learn about the world around them they find out about the past through talking to parents, grandparents and friends and they develop an interest in their own story as well as stories in their family – this is the beginning of developing an understanding of the past and helps children to learn how other people are different from them. They are assessed according to the Development Matters Attainment targets.
Impact
As children progress through the school, they will gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. The children will become critical thinkers and gain an ability to question and reason about the past. Pupils will also gain an understanding of the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
