Intent

At St Lawrence CE Primary School, it is our intent to provide children with a broad and balanced History Curriculum which will stimulate their curiosity about the past and help them understand how it affects their lives today. Historical topics will enable them to gain a coherent understanding of significant moments in Britain’s past, as well as understanding of ancient civilisations. Pupils will see how the town of Alton, the Church of St Lawrence and the school itself fit into the story of the History of Britain.  They will build their understanding of chronology and topics will enable them to compare significant, characteristic features of different time periods. The History curriculum will provide opportunities for pupils to develop skills of enquiry, investigation and analysis. They will be able to ask perceptive questions, think critically and weigh evidence to develop perspective and judgment.

Implementation

At St Lawrence CE Primary School, teachers impart good subject knowledge to lead learning within History units to show how people’s lives have shaped this nation and to show how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.

Children use quality primary and secondary sources and artefacts to build their skills of enquiry and investigation. They will visit sites of historical interest both locally and further afield to enhance and enrich their learning. Each unit is placed chronologically to build pupils’ sense of time. Children will learn about the characteristic features of periods of History and will also explore the concepts of cause and consequence, as well as continuity and change throughout a time period and over longer periods of time. There are regular opportunities to revisit learning, supported by knowledge organisers, which help to embed knowledge. Cross-curricular links are made, where appropriate, to allow children to deepen their understanding.

Impact

Pupils are formatively assessed every lesson, through observation, discussion and teacher monitoring of work. At the end of each unit, teachers make summative judgements (working towards/ age related/ greater depth) about each pupil’s attainment. End of year judgments are provided in the end of year reports in KS1 and KS2 and in the EYFS profile assessment (ELG – Understanding the World).

Pupils at St Lawrence will become increasingly critical and analytical with their thinking, developing the skills to make informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past. They will become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in and they will be able to use historical vocabulary to explain their ideas. They will be able to identify the impact of specific themes, such as conflict, across different periods of History and on their lives today. They will have encountered or participated in high-quality visits/visitors to further appreciate the impact of History. They will be able to use the historical knowledge they have gained to construct informed historical arguments which explain their own point of view. They will understand the importance of studying History and of how it can affect their lives today.