HISTORY
INTENT:
At St. Joseph’s, we believe that a high-quality History curriculum should promote an inquisitive nature in pupils and a desire to learn about and from the past. Secure and in-depth Historical knowledge and understanding gives children the building blocks for investigative skills that will shape their further learning about Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Children develop an understanding of how History has had an impact on our lives today both locally, nationally and internationally.
Intent:
All History topics start with a question that the children contribute to answering throughout the unit. Whilst it is important for children to have facts, we wish to encourage independent and critical thinking which will foster an understanding of ‘why?’ as well as ‘who?’, ‘what?’, ‘when?’ and ‘where?’. We aim to ensure that all children:
Are provided with a relevant and stimulating History curriculum which instils curiosity about the past and brings History to life for them in school and on well-planned visits.
Are equipped with historical knowledge and vocabulary which they can retrieve and communicate in order to explain what they have learned about the past.
Develop a knowledge and understanding of chronology, so that they can organise key events from the past and make links with other periods in History.
Acquire the necessary skills in order to ask perceptive questions, think critically, analyse evidence and develop their own informed judgements.
Understand that History is about real people who lived, and real events, which happened in the past.
Through our belief in ‘Our curriculum for our children’ we ensure that our children understand History is about real people who lived, and real events, which happened in the past. The children will be proud of where they live and understand their local heritage and how it relates to the national story.
IMPLEMENTATION:
History lessons are planned so that there is time for discussion and debate, fostering an environment of enquiry which enables children to revise and justify their opinions as well as encouraging children to ask as well as answer questions about History. An enquiry-based approach is used in order to encourage and develop independent learning and critical thinking. This developed further through first hand, real–life experiences both within and beyond the school environment.
Children will understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources which they are able to identify. Cross-curricular activities, through English especially, offer many opportunities for children to learn and apply key skills taught in History too.
IMPACT:
Standards of children’s work throughout school and of the quality of teaching, are monitored thorough book scrutiny, class displays and also pupil interviews; individual feedback is given and examples of good practice are shared.
By the time the children leave St. Joseph’s, they will be will equipped with a strong knowledge of History, as well as a range of key skills to approach and question what they understand about the past. They will be confident in their own abilities to assess the reliability of sources of evidence, think critically about questions they are posed and arrive at judgements about key events in history.