At St Alphonsus’ C
atholic Primary School we plan learning and teaching with a view to enabling each child to achieve their full potential and seek the highest level of personal achievement.
Our History Vision
At St. Alphonsus’, we want all children to achieve a higher level of understanding in History and historical concepts. Our children’s success and understanding of historical periods and concepts are underpinned by quality first teaching and excellent subject knowledge.
Our History Intent – Why do we teach History the way we do, and how does it meet the needs of our pupils?
High Five
- Through quality teaching, children will develop a sense of chronology, knowledge and enquiry skills, as well as exploring their own questions and thoughts.
- Pupils will understand how history has impacted their lives and shaped lives in the world today, including relationships and those of leaders.
- History aims to stimulate children’s awareness, curiosity and understanding of the past through substantive and disciplinary knowledge and concepts.
- Pupils will confidently use a range of vocabulary from EYFS to Y6 to enable them to investigate sources of information and enrich their understanding further.
- Teaching will prepare and equip pupils to investigate different sources through asking questions, critical thinking and evaluation of evidence.
Implementation of our History Curriculum – What do we teach? What does it look like?
At St Alphonsus’ we have begun to implement the CUSP Curriculum for History. Through the use of the CUSP Curriculum, pupils will encounter teachings around a number of different periods and events in history, including how they impacted life today. With the teaching of substantive and disciplinary knowledge, our pupils will be able to think and work like historians at the appropriate level.
What history looks like EYFS:
- In EYFS, our children will explore their Understanding Of the World through a range of topics and a play based curriculum. Through the curriculum, our pupils will be able to confidently be able to talk about the past and the present and people around them. They will also have the opportunity to draw on stories and events they have experienced at school and understand how life in the past was.
What history looks like Y1-Y6:
- In KS1, our pupils will look at events within living memory and events beyond living memory, all of which have shaped our lives and experiences. From Y1, pupils will begin to look at our local area and this will be developed into Y2, where the pupils will look at how our area has changed over time due to historical events, such as the Second World War. Our pupils will also have the opportunity to study significant individuals through studies such as Mary Anning and David Attenborough, and King Charles II and Samuel Pepys.
- In KS2, our pupils will look at events beyond 1066 and also before the birth of Christ.
Ancient Civilizations are studied within LS2 and UKS2, which acknowledges our pupils’ understanding of chronology and comparisons of historical events over time and allows them to apply their substantive and disciplinary knowledge as practising historians. As well Ancient Civilizations, our pupils will be provided with teachings around early settlements with the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings, British Monarchs and rulers and also a local area study with a focus on the Second World War towards the end of their education at KS2.
Whilst teaching our History curriculum, our pupils will be exposed to high quality vocabulary and enquiry. Through this, our students will develop their own sense of inquiry through a range of tasks and lessons, which, in turn, will engage them and inspire them to learn more about the past and how it has made a significant impact on life today. Pupils will encounter a variety of different periods in history which will develop their understanding of the past.
Impact of our History Curriculum – What will be the outcomes we hope to achieve as a result of our history curriculum?
Pupils will leave St Alphonsus’ following a successful study of our History curriculum and be prepared to develop their understanding further at KS3 and beyond. Our broad curriculum enriches our pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the past and how it has impacted life today. Our History curriculum is accessible to all and has been developed through CUSP which is designed for all pupils to be able to access with support and engagement through the teaching of the 6-step model. Through this, all pupils will be able to achieve within the History curriculum and become successful historians.
Useful Information
