At Wavendon Gate School, our history curriculum aims to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers who develop a complex knowledge of local and national history and the history of the wider world. We want our pupils to develop the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and be able to explain and analyse historical evidence.
Our curriculum aims to build an awareness of significant events and individuals in global, British and local history and recognise how things have changed over time. History will support children to appreciate the complexity of people’s lives, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Studying History allows children to appreciate the many reasons why people may behave in the way they do, supporting children to develop empathy for others while providing an opportunity to learn from mankind’s past mistakes. Our history aims to support pupils in building their understanding of chronology in each year group, making connections over periods of time and developing a chronologically-secure knowledge of History.
We hope to develop pupils’ understanding of how historians study the past and construct accounts and the skills to carry out their own historical enquiries.
In order to prepare pupils for their future learning in history, our curriculum aims to introduce them to key substantive concepts including power, invasion, settlement and migration, empire, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of humankind, society and culture.
In Foundation and Key Stage 1, learning begins with what is most familiar to children: looking at their own past and those of their families and they begin to make links between different generations. As children’s learning progresses, pupils will study how schools and toys have changed over time and also learn about key explorers who have changed the world and compare the monarchy of today with the monarchy of the past. Children will use this knowledge to support them as they move into Key Stage 2.
Within Key Stage 2, children will learn about a comprehensive range of historical events to give them a strong grounding in British history from the first settlements through Roman Britain, the Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Tudor Britain and up to the impact of World War II on the people of Britain. They will also learn about the local significance of Bletchley Park during the War. These units explore the themes of change and continuity, perspective and power. Children will also cover units from World History including Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and the Maya civilization. All of which will give children an understanding of the wider world and how we are part of this.
As a school, we are very proud in providing a progressive study of history and place a great deal on emphasis revisiting key ideas and strands in order to extend and further develop pupils’ awareness and understanding of core historical values, aspects of life and trends throughout time. We are all passionate in ensuring that teaching across the whole school challenges pupils to think proactively through the progression of historical abstract concepts and ideas. For example, their understanding of empire is introduced in key stage 1 though the monarchy unit and progresses through lower key stage 2 with the Romans and Egyptians and then is further built upon in upper key stage 2 with the Greeks the second World War seeing the fall of the British empire.
Our history curriculum aims to help children understand how past events shape today’s world by making comparisons and connections between different units and the impact that this has had on life today. We aim to inspire children’s curiosity for history and challenge them to make connections across time and place to set them up for a life-long love of an important subject helping them to become curious and active citizen