Our History Subject leader is Mrs Davies.
At Towngate Primary Academy, our History curriculum is designed to ignite children’s curiosity about the past. We are determined that alongside historical knowledge there will be a high focus on the development of specific historical skills through discrete History lessons to ensure children know more and remember more.
The teaching of history in our academy is intended to equip pupils to ask questions about the past, analyse evidence, think critically, appreciate different perspectives and develop informed judgements through our knowledge, analyse and create planning sequence.
History is delivered as a discrete subject and wherever possible cross curricular links are exploited, particularly links with British values, our values based learning and SMSC. However, teachers make it explicit to the children that they are learning history skills and encourage them to think like ‘historians.’
Our History curriculum covers the skills outlined in the National Curriculum through broad, challenging and inspiring themes which is supplemented by the REACH Curriculum. Progression is planned in knowledge, skills and vocabulary so that pupils by the end of year 6 have the cultural capital to be successful in History in their secondary school. The progression grid carefully builds on prior learning so that children can make sense of the subject. Progression allows for sensible cross curricular links to be made.
History is taught within a discrete theme. Medium term plans ensure coverage of both the required knowledge and the subject specific skills. Individual sessions are planned to inspire, engage and challenge pupils in response to their needs. Children are given a wide variety of experiences both in the classroom and out. We encourage school visits and visitors into school to enable the children to gain first hand experiences to support their learning.
Pupils are encouraged to think like historians and develop their skills including historical enquiry. There is a strong emphasis on developing children’s other skills such as understanding of chronology, interpretations of evidence, changes within a time and across time periods and cause and consequence.
Classes have a Rapid Recall quiz weekly to recap previous learning and vocabulary. During lessons children are exposed to history specific vocabulary and taught these through repetition and meaningful use. Flash cards are used to recap and reinforce previously taught vocabulary. Opportunities are planned to study key historical people and their significance.
Learning walls specific to history themes are used in lessons to highlight key knowledge and vocabulary. Timelines are used within the classroom to refer back to previous learning and develop chronological understanding and order of events. Both fiction and non-fiction texts are used to develop children’s historical understanding and links to our book-led curriculum. Book are displayed under working walls for children and access and a range of non-fiction texts are available in reading areas.
Our curriculum is enhanced through studying historical artefacts. Visits and visitors are planned to enhance children’s understanding and knowledge of the theme. Local walks are planned where to appropriate in order to link their historical learning to changes within their own local area.
We measure the impact of our History curriculum in a variety of ways. We use pupil voice to establish pupils’ understanding of key concepts, vocabulary and skills as a historian to analyse sources, interpret information and discuss significance of historical matter.
Pupils’ books in history demonstrate the impact of the varied and engaging curriculum in place, assessment History is completed through the use of highlight tasks to showcase the skills and knowledge pupils have learned through each unit of work.
Subject leader monitoring acts as an evidence base for the impact of the sequence in place to establish the level at which pupils know more and remember more.
As a result of the curriculum in place, pupils’ achieve well in history.
