HISTORY CURRICULUM INTENT

The history curriculum at ALP Trust is designed to allow pupils to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Progression through the ‘Global Enquirers’ Knowledge, Skills and Understanding Passport provides a pathway towards living fulfilling lives and contributing to society, through fostering their curiosity and encouraging them to ask perceptive questions. The curriculum focuses on pupils developing a sound understanding of the chronological narrative of history and understanding how people’s lives have been shaped by the past.

The history curriculum is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before, working towards defined end-points in the form of enquiry questions. Engaging ‘launches’ and experiences provide a hook for each enquiry and there are close links with geography in all year groups. Pupils are encouraged to compare and contrast different periods of history, which provides opportunities to revisit and consolidate prior learning. Units of work allow opportunities for pupils to learn about influential local, national and global individuals and have a clear focus on building vocabulary through attached language plans. Powerful knowledge is interleaved within the curriculum to promote the transfer of knowledge into long term memory. 

Within EYFS, pupils learn through experiences that introduce the concept of time and change. Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. In KS1, the history curriculum focuses on pupils developing an understanding of the methods of historical enquiry while gaining simple historical perspective through the study of significant individuals and local history. A challenging and broad curriculum in KS2 further develops pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding including contending with abstract historical terms and concepts. Throughout the planning, links to British Values are explored and pupils investigate how concepts such as democracy have evolved over time. Pupils use and evaluate sources of evidence, developing an understanding of how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. Their knowledge, skills and understanding in each topic is underpinned by a solid foundation of chronological awareness. The curriculum is planned to enable opportunities for pupils to use embedded basic skills in English and mathematics in a variety of contexts.