Intent

At Lord Blyton Primary School, we aim to develop an understanding and appreciation of the past.  We aim to provide pupils with a broad and balanced view of History in Britain, other societies and epochs, whilst teaching pupils to develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem-solving which will prepare them for the next phase in their education.   To ensure that pupils develop a secure knowledge that they can build on, our History curriculum is organised into a progression model that outlines the skills, knowledge and vocabulary to be taught in a sequentially coherent way. Chronological Understanding; Historical Understanding; Historical Enquiry; Interpretations of History; Organisation and Communication are all mapped out to ensure that pupils build on secure prior knowledge.

• Pupils will evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources including ICT as a stimulus and source of information. Our historians will be able to explain clearly how these sources give us an insight about how people around the world used to live and how these interpretations may differ. Pupils will be taught to make links between these areas of learning, with the aim of developing engaged, motivated and curious learners that can reflect on the past and make meaningful links to the present day.  
• Pupils will develop a sense of chronology.  In KS2, pupils will follow a chronological timeline from the earliest of times to the present day, and through this, they will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and its events.
• Pupils will learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain and, by considering how people lived in the past, we aim to develop more informed, tolerant, respectful members of society.  In our school, history makes a significant contribution to citizenship education.  We aim to teach pupils about how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world and how we have developed as a democratic society. Pupils will learn life has not always been that way, as they learn about significant aspects of the history of the wider world, the nature of ancient civilisations, the expansion and dissolution of empires, characteristic features of past non-European societies and the achievements and follies of mankind.  They will be given opportunities to discuss and recognise how this influences modern day life.

Implementation

At Lord Blyton, the Early Years provides the first opportunity to introduce pupils with vocabulary associated with History.  Staff follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework, which aims to guide pupils, to make sense of their physical world and their community.  Listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world, which has changed over time.  Pupils are introduced to vocabulary associated with history as they explore the passing of time in their own lives and learn about significant events in the past, e.g. When I was a baby…, Remembrance, Royal Events/Celebrations, Chinese New Year and other religious events that are in the past – this is the first step of becoming a historian

In KS1 and KS2, learning will start through a shared process of revisiting prior knowledge at the start of units and with some low stakes questioning within some lessons.  This will be scaffolded in order to support pupils to recall knowledge and make connections with previous learning. Staff will model explicitly the subject-specific vocabulary, knowledge and skills relevant to the learning to allow pupils to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts.

• History will be taught weekly during alternate half terms (alternating with

Geography) and the sequence of learning is carefully mapped out to ensure

pupils are not overloaded with information.

• Pupils will have a knowledge organiser in books at the start of each topic, which details some key information, dates and vocabulary. This will not be used as part of an assessment, but to support children with their acquisition of knowledge and will be used as a reference document.
• Each topic will commence with an overriding enquiry question to focus pupils and foster curiosity.  Topics will be compiled of a series of lessons based around key questions and planned for progression and depth (purchased scheme). 
• To support teaching, staff will have access to a range of resources and planning from professional sites including The History Association and Key Stage History. 
• Planning has been reviewed as a whole school, to ensure chronology and progression.  To ensure coverage, planning will consider the progression of skills including knowledge and understanding as outlined in the National Curriculum.

In KS1, pupils’ historical skills will focus on the world around them and their living memory of History before moving to events that go beyond living history.  They will be introduced to the idea of chronology and time lines.  This will provide a firm foundation for KS2 History. 

In KS2, the History curriculum is set out in chronological order to allow pupils to reference the previous events in time and to refer to this prior learning year-on-year, making connections to other periods at the start of a unit and throughout the year.  All pupils will be required to make connections and historical links with prior learning of people, events, societies and epochs.  Where possible, cross-curricular opportunities will be adopted to enrich learning and to provide further consolidation and depth of their knowledge.  Pupils will develop a sense of relevance and belonging within their local community through some local history studies of significant figures and locations.

• Lessons will include historical enquiry.  Pupils will be encouraged to examine and evaluate primary and secondary sources to develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem solving, which will develop knowledge and understanding and prepare them for the next phase in their education.  Challenge questions will be used to allow pupils to consolidate knowledge and understanding where necessary or to apply learning in a philosophical/open manner.
• Frequent low stakes curriculum quizzes will review learning and check that pupils are understanding and retaining knowledge.  Learning will also be reviewed on a termly basis, after a period of forgetting, so that teachers can check whether information has been retained. History assessment is ongoing and informs teachers with planning lesson activities and differentiation; it will be electronically tracked against the History progression of skills objectives.
• Effective modelling by teachers ensures that pupils will be able to achieve their learning intentions, with misconceptions addressed throughout the process.
• Teachers will use Assessment for Learning (AfL) at different points in each lesson to ensure misconceptions are highlighted and addressed.
• Assessment will be based upon a progression of skills within each year group, which enables pupils to build on and develop their skills each year.
• Our historians will be given a variety of experiences both in and out of the classroom where appropriate to create memorable learning opportunities, foster curiosity and enthusiasm for history, and to further support and develop their understanding. 
• Trips and visiting experts will be used where possible to enhance the learning experience.

Impact

At Lord Blyton Primary, the impact of quality first teaching in History will foster a love and enthusiasm for the subject.  Pupil voice will provide evidence that pupils are able to talk with confidence and enthusiasm about what they have learnt in history using subject specific vocabulary. Pupil voice will also demonstrate that many pupils enjoy history and are able to recall their learning over time – they will be encouraged to make connections with prior learning of epochs and individuals from the past. Book scrutinies will demonstrate that history is being taught at an age appropriate standard across each year group with some opportunities planned in for pupils working at greater depth. Work should be good quality and demonstrate pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence.  Assessment and book scrutinies will evidence that pupils can demonstrate knowledge and understanding, use key vocabulary and cover all skills in the progression of skills tracker.

Furthermore, our plan is to ensure:

• Pupils will become increasingly critical and analytical within their thinking, developing some of the skills required in KS3. Making informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past. 
• Pupils will become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in. 
• They will also have a further understanding of History on a local level and on a small-scale.  
• Pupils will develop enquiry skills to pursue their own interests within a topic and further questioning. 

• Pupils will retain prior learning and explicitly make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning.  
• Where applicable, pupils will have encountered or participated in high-quality visits/visitors to further appreciate the impact of History – it is hoped this will foster a life-long enthusiasm for History.  We aim to stimulate ambitions so some pupils recognise career possibilities and grow up wanting to enter historically focussed careers such as archivists, museum curators, archaeologists or research analysts.