Intent

At Bishop Ridley C of E Primary School, we aim to develop a love of history by delivering an engaging and exciting curriculum that will promote pupils’ curiosity about the past. 

By studying a range of historical periods in line with the National Curriculum, pupils will develop their knowledge and understanding about the past. They also have the opportunity to learn about significant events and individuals from diverse backgrounds. Pupils will understand how these have shaped our lives as citizens of modern multicultural Britain and as members of the Bishop Ridley community.  

In addition, pupils will have a clear understanding of chronology and will be able to sequence significant historical events. Our curriculum is designed with progression in mind so that pupils’ knowledge of different time periods is continually built upon, allowing them to better support their own historical analysis and arguments.

Pupils will also study primary and secondary sources to understand how historians investigate the past and how they construct historical claims, arguments and accounts. They are frequently taught about important substantive concepts, such as invasion, trade, discrimination and monarchy, in a variety of contexts and their historical vocabulary is built upon each year. 

Implementation

The teaching and implementation of the history curriculum at Bishop Ridley C of E Primary School is based on the National Curriculum and projects are well-sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s knowledge, skills and subject disciplines.

The choice of historical periods follows the guidance set out in the national curriculum, with specific details relating to significant events and individuals chosen to present a rich and diverse account of British and world history.

Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, history projects are sequenced accordingly.

In Nursery and Reception, children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. 'Understanding the World', which involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. They are provided with chances to talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society, know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class, and understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

In Key Stage 1, projects provide numerous opportunities for children to explore significant historical events, people and places in their locality. In Year 1, children begin their learning by building on their past experiences, including their family history and events within living memory. In Year 2, children extend their studies to explore a broader range of periods, by exploring the concept of significance and the significant people that have greatly influenced history. They are also introduced to the challenging concepts of power and monarchy in preparation for more complex historical topics in Key Stage 2. 

In Key Stage 2, the focus broadens out to Britain’s early history, how it has influenced and been influenced by the wider world, in addition to understanding the significant aspects of the history of the wider world through ancient civilisations and empires.

Throughout the history scheme, there is complete coverage of all national curriculum programmes of study, where children will be given a variety of experiences both in and out of the classroom (where appropriate) to create memorable learning opportunities and to further support and develop their understanding.

Impact

At Bishop Ridley C of E Primary School, our aim is for our History curriculum to develop independent thinkers, who are intrigued and inspired by the past. Through the high quality first teaching of History taking place at our school, pupils will become equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to be able to enquire into the past with enthusiasm and accuracy.

Prior learning is revisited at the start of each lesson to ensure pupils have retained the key knowledge required to build upon in their later learning. Children’s class work shows how our enquiry-based approach gives real purpose and focus to each topic; the structure of each lesson planned carefully to address our overall question.

We measure the impact of our History curriculum through a variety of ways, including undertaking learning walks, book looks and Pupil Voice interviews. This monitoring shows that children’s work demonstrates a range of themes are covered, concepts are revisited, and cross curricular links are made where possible. Work is of good quality and demonstrates children are acquiring knowledge, skills and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence. Pupil Voice shows that pupils are confident and able to talk about what they have learnt in history using subject specific vocabulary. Pupil Voice also demonstrates that pupils enjoy history and are able to recall their learning over time, by making links to previously studied topics and making comparisons.