Our history curriculum offers a coherently planned sequence of lessons to help pupils learn progressively, covering the skills and knowledge from the national curriculum.

Children cover history content in a way that allows them to commit key knowledge to the long term memory. Each year group learns about an ‘ancient’ civilisation – Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Mayans – in order that comparisons and contrasts can be drawn between them over the four years of study.

Core British history is covered chronologically, starting with the Stone Age, followed by the Bronze and Iron Ages before pupils learn about the Anglo Saxons, The Tudors and World War 2.

Children will learn how some historical events occurred concurrently in different locations e.g. ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and the Stone Age. They will learn about themes across time periods, which will help deepen and broaden their historical understanding. For instance, pupils will learn about several invasions – the Roman invasion, the Viking invasion and the attempted German invasion – and the similarities and differences between them.

Our aim is to ignite the fires of interest and excitement within our pupils, through historical study, which fuels their desire to learn more deeply during secondary education and explore careers, rooted in historical learning.

In order for our children to know more and remember more in each area of history studied, the lesson sequence is structured so that prior learning is always considered and opportunities for revision and retrieval of key dates, events and facts are built into lesson sequences. Pupils revisit the key substantive knowledge and vocabulary from previous learning. This all allows for revision to become part of good practice and ultimately helps build a depth to children’s historical understanding. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, children will build on prior knowledge alongside introducing new skills and challenge.

It is important for children to understand that the past influences the present and the future. We want to encourage children to learn that they can’t change history but they can learn from it and use this information to help shape a better future.

Progression across the school is measured through key questioning skills built into lessons, child-led assessment and termly teacher assessments.