History

General Statement

Within the Christian context of the Blue School, we perceive History to be an essential part of children’s education, in the development of their thinking and learning skills, enabling them to develop a sense of personal identity and an understanding and respect for other cultures and points of view. It helps them to appreciate the problems of the past and how attempts were made to deal with them. It helps them to understand the bearing that the past has on the present and the future. To be a good historian, children need to know about sources, to gather evidence and to reflect critically on the material they have gathered.

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Aims

To develop in children the skills of enquiry, investigation, analysis, evaluation and presentation
Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
To provide a broad, balanced and progressive history curriculum based on the entitlements of the National Curriculum, taking into account individual needs and interests.
To provide a stimulating, well resourced, safe historical environment which will harness the children’s curiosity about the past and stimulate their love of learning.
To ensure that children understand that history has shaped all aspects of life and learning.
To help children understand society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of their cultural heritage.
To encourage children to respond with open mindedness and sensitivity to the ideas and concepts of other times and places.
To foster feelings of interest and involvement with others in different times and places.
To develop in children the skills of enquiry, investigation, analysis, evaluation and presentation

Objectives

The aims are achieved by:

Teaching concepts, skills and knowledge through a variety of approaches including visits, use of sites and primary evidence.
Providing opportunities for pupils to practice the skills necessary for systematic historical investigation.
Identifying, promoting and reinforcing positive historical attitudes and encouraging children to use historical facts to back up their opinions.
Careful planning taking into account children’s abilities, interests, previous knowledge and experiences to ensure appropriate coverage and progression.
Relating historical situations to modern day life wherever possible

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Early Years department we aim to explore history through the area of learning entitled Understanding of the World; People and Communities.

History plays a significant role in an Early Years classroom. Children are encouraged to reflect on their own childhood and those of their parents, access creative resources, appraise and modify their work on a daily basis. Resources are the key to effective practice and children are encouraged to think and work independently.

Teaching and Learning

History is one of the foundation subjects established by the National Curriculum 2014 and children are required to follow designated programmes of study in order to achieve particular levels of attainment. It is important that history receives equal teaching time as geography. In general the subjects are taught in half-termly blocks. The two subjects should be given 1 hour a week of teaching time at Key Stage 1 and 1 hour ½ teaching time at Key Stage 2.

The history curriculum at The Blue School changed as of September 2014. The QCA Scheme of Work is still used alongside schemes from History Interactive and the Historical Association. To aid teachers in using the schemes of work, websites, journal articles, resources and lesson plans are available for each unit. Each individual teacher should use the scheme as a basis for their planning and should identify the most appropriate teaching strategy to ensure maximum effective learning in any particular lesson, ensuring progression across the topic. Pupils are given a range of different learning opportunities within a creative content. It is important that the children are encouraged to investigate, to undertake practical historical analysis and to use drama to re-create historical situations. Teaching methods such as demonstrations, research, storytelling, should also be employed where appropriate.