History

History Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact

‘History, the study of the past, is all around us; we are continually making history through our thoughts, words and actions. History is personal and global; it is everyday life and momentous occasions. History is about people and it is not just about the past’. Historical association

Intent

We provide a high-quality history curriculum that has been carefully designed and sequenced to equip our children with a secure, coherent knowledge about British, local and world history. Our intent is that the teaching of History will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Sequential learning encourages pupils to make important comparisons between the different societies and how advanced they were.

We aim for it to inspire pupils’ curiosity, enable them 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 society and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. 

​Implementation - How Will We Deliver the Curriculum?

History curriculum content is delivered in a sequenced chronological order, allowing children to learn about the behaviours, demographics and influence of civilisations on worldwide developments. As children move through school, they are then presented with enquiries which draw on prior learning and more advanced political concepts. Towards the end of Key Stage Two, children are able to draw upon the previous 2000 years, changes over the last 1000 years and the influences and achievements that still have an impact on modern life today. Golden threads exist to teach the connections between history topics, so there is comparison between societies at different times in the past.

In order to promote awareness of cultural diversity, children will look at the wider context of significant events. When embracing the history of their locality, children will commemorate the individuals within the local area and draw upon the significant impacts moment of history had on the place that their ancestors once lived. Disciplinary concepts such as cause, change, interpretations and the nature of evidence are woven throughout learning themes.  Our teaching of history is driven by an enquiry approach that seeks to capitalise on children's curiosity and prior learning.

A curriculum embedded in story.

Stories are an effective means of engaging the human mind. Cognitive engagement occurs when individuals are drawn into a narrative, processing information in a way that makes it more memorable and emotionally resonant. The brain processes stories differently from facts, making them more accessible and relatable. Where possible, we use narratives within English to link to thematic learning themes in History.  By presenting information in a narrative format, we strive to make it easier for learners to understand and remember complex concepts. Educational storytelling also encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.

Golden Threads

Golden threads, which are woven throughout our whole school history curriculum, facilitate continuous revising of first-order concepts. Our curriculum is refined yearly, but it maintains a consistent knowledge base to ensure conceptual progression. We have identified a set of key historical concepts or ‘golden threads’, that children will repeatedly revisit throughout their time at Tattenhall. 

Each unit will not include every 'thread', but over a year, children will visit each one more than once. For example, in Year 4, children will encounter the concepts of invasion, hierarchy and monarchy, settlement and invention when studying the Romans.

Curriculum Enrichment

Where possible, every unit of work is enriched by a school trip, or by a visitor coming into school. Trips and visitors are carefully planned to ensure they link with what is happening in the classroom.

Impact

The curriculum is coherent and makes sense to children. Through careful sequencing and integration of non-British units, alongside British History units, pupils will make comparisons between the different societies and how advanced they were. Progression from these learning themes through to long-term thematic studies enables children to look back and make links and articulate their learning; children then make connections through golden threads from earlier learning to the end of their primary curriculum. Children have a rich knowledge of their local heritage and can compare this to historical themes nationally and globally. Through opportunities to develop an understanding of utility and reliability in upper key stage two, children will know to explore that all was not always as it seemed.