History

History is a valued part of the curriculum at Adswood Primary School as it gives us a sense of identity, set within our social, political, cultural and economic relationships. History fires the children’s curiosity about the past in Britain
and the world, helping them to put their own lives and current events in context. 

Intent 

At Adswood Primary School, we believe that history inspires pupils' curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Children are encouraged to develop their knowledge and understanding of events, cultures and lives in a variety of countries and time periods. The history curriculum at Adswood Primary School enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other subjects. The curriculum is designed to ensure that as pupils progress through school, their growing knowledge about the past helps to deepen their understanding of how humans have shaped the world throughout history. They are encouraged to make connections and note contrasts between different periods to give them an appreciation of the bigger picture of human history. Knowledge Organisers are carefully designed to ensure that learning is sequential and developed over time and allows children to build on prior knowledge to ensure that they know more and remember more.

Implementation

At Adswood Priamry, we implement a history curriculum that is progressive throughout the school covering the key strands of The National Curriculum. History is taught as part of a termly topic, focusing on the knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Connections between subjects are made to reinforce learning where appropriate. History teaching focuses on enabling children to think as historians. A variety of teaching approaches are used and lessons are planned to include opportunities for children to work as pairs, in groups and to work independently. Within our history teaching we include and develop key knowledge and vocabulary.  New information and knowledge is introduced in small steps. Effective questioning is a crucial component of all our lessons. Key questions are planned to encourage children to think about their learning, to reflect upon previous learning and to make connections between new and existing learning. We also encourage them to build upon their peers' learning. We encourage adults and children to use both rich language and precise vocabulary linked to the subject area that they are studying so that they can understand it and can then use it to reason, articulate and make generalisations. To ensure that the children get the best support in lessons, children have access to various resources to help them find out more.

Impact 

Evidence through pupil voice and outcomes in books will show that children can confidently articulate and demonstrate their historical knowledge and understanding (including key historical concepts) using the correct vocabulary. Children will be able to make connections and draw contrasts between the different periods and civilisations they have studied. Older children will be able to talk about how our understanding of the past is arrived at with the aid of a range of sources. 

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