Curriculum – History
At Oakley Cross our History curriculum has been designed to engage and enthuse our children with the people and events of the past and to develop meaningful skills as historians, enabling them to understand how the past has helped to shape the world they live in today.
Intent
Across EYFS, KS1 and KS2, we aim to:
- Develop chronological understanding and nurture the children’s interest in the past.
- Develop also their skills in enquiry, analysis, evaluation, and argument whilst enabling them to interpret and understand the past, and communicate historically.
- Overall, develop their interest in the past, arousing their curiosity and motivation to learn.
Implementation
Our planning for History has a deliberate approach to sequencing the curriculum and the choice of content focus. At all stages, the curriculum links to previous content and concepts and identifies later links with opportunities to revisit key periods of time. At its heart is how the events of the past have shaped the region and country we live in today.
In EYFS, the focus is on the child’s immediate living memory and developing an understanding of old and new, past and present and identifying change
In KS1, the sequence of learning moves from history within the child’s living memory to looking at familiar features in the recent past and then gradually beyond living memory. The achievements of significant individuals including those in the North East adds a further dimension. Pupil’s prior knowledge is built upon and helps lay the foundations for future learning.
In KS2, our curriculum extends the children’s knowledge and understanding of British and world history in line with the National Curriculum. Alongside this, a thread of local history builds year upon year to allow the children to uncover how their home became the place it is today. In our long term overview:
- British history is sequenced chronologically across KS2 from the Stone Age through to the Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings.
- The impact and legacy of our mining and railway heritage and the changing face of West Auckland and County Durham is explored.
- In Y3/4 ancient civilisations are also explored through a study of Ancient Egyptians and the Shang Dynasty
- In Y4/5 the history of Britain around 1000AD is also contrasted with that of a faraway place including studies of the Mayans and Benin.
- In Y5/6 the chronology is extended beyond 1066 with studies of the Victorians and the Second World War and the impact these had both locally and nationally.
- Thematic studies of aspects of life since 1066 have been placed at the end of Y6 to allow reconnection to prior learning and to fill gaps in learning.
- For a copy of our Long Term Plan for History and the key skills we aim for children to acquire over time please follow the link below.
Impact
Our children will become confident historians with an enthusiasm for the past and a clearer understanding of how this has molded their lives today. They will become more confident using their enquiry and literacy skills whist becoming more respectful of other nations, cultures and traditions. We also want children to question the impact of their learning and have posed the question ‘How did people in the past shape our world?