History

How do we teach History at Model Village?

At MVPS we are guided by the National Curriculum for History(2014). The National Curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• know and understand 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; achievements and follies of mankind
• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed

Intent

Our intent is that our teaching of History will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We aim for it to inspire pupils’ curiosity about the past and to know more about the past. We aim to enable children to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. Through the teaching of History we endeavour to teach children 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.

Implementation

History is taught in blocks throughout the year and consideration has been given to ensure progression in knowledge, skills and understanding throughout the school.  An understanding of chronology is a vital part of the History curriculum and plays an integral part in all of our lessons.  The use of progressively more complex timelines ensures children can see and understand the history of the country they live in and the wider world.  By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of periods of history from the Stone Age to the present day. They will be able to talk about historical events and time periods, knowing where they sit in the whole story of history.  They will be able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Cross curricular outcomes in history are planned for, with links between the history and English curriculums in particular, to enable contextual learning. Teachers plan their lessons using a variety of approaches in order to appeal to the learning styles and abilities of all children, whether they have SEND, PP funding or have an aptitude for History.  Where appropriate, teachers plan educational visits to give children first hand experiences that will enhance their learning.  The golden thread of communication weaves its way through our history curriculum as children are given the opportunity to practice verbal and written communication methods in a practical context.

Impact

Through a well structured and well taught history curriculum, our children are exposed to the historical knowledge, skills and understanding that they will need to become enthusiastic historians. Children will be able to find and talk about events and time periods chronologically using the timelines appropriate to their age group and will use this to talk about current and prior learning.  We assess the pupils knowledge through:

• Quizzes
• Pupil discussion
• Evidence in pupil books
• Assessment against planned learning outcomes

Opportunities for internal and external moderation are planned throughout the school year.