Winkfield St Mary's CE Primary School

History

Our Curriculum Threads

Our curriculum threads are woven through our mathematics curriculum as it:

Our History curriculum supports children’s deeper understanding and retention with the enquiry-based curriculum promoting WISDOM AND WONDER. Each topic and session is presented as an enquiry question in which children are able explore and delve into through research. Our History curriculum develops an understanding of DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION as it allows for children to understand the effects historical events had on a range of people and how it still effects a variety of people today. Within our enquiry-based learning children are encouraged to articulate and present their thoughts and findings thus developing their LANGUAGE AND ORACY skills.  Learning about the past and mistakes made help us understand how to move forward and create a world where we can be HEALTHY AND HAPPY.

Intent

At Winkfield St Mary’s, our intent is to inspire children’s natural curiosity and to engage them in enquiry-based learning about the past. Our History curriculum enables our children to become critical thinkers, be able to weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgment. Children will be able to ask and answer questions through evidence-based enquiries and will be able to understand how learning about the past can help to change the future as well as understand the complexity of peoples live, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identify and the challenges of their time. We aim to develop our children’s inquisitive minds; giving them everlasting memories to help them develop a love of history. Through our high-quality history curriculum our pupils will gain coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. In addition to this, they will gain an understanding of the chronology of historical events both in living memory and beyond living memory.

Implementation 

Here at Winkfield St Mary’s, we use Collins Connected History Scheme to support the teaching and learning of History.

History is taught as explicit lessons in Years 1 to 6 with the Early Years developing their History knowledge through ‘Understanding the world’. Key historical themes are also covered in whole school, key stage and class assemblies including Black History month, Remembrance Day, Important Women in History and many more.

Within the curriculum these skills are taught using a range of teaching styles to ensure that the children are engaged and motivated.  They are encouraged to be free thinkers, to work collaboratively, to use a range of enquiry skills, to make links with their prior learning, to ask questions and to conduct their own research.

Our History curriculum is designed to ensure that it provides the progression and coverage that meets the needs of pupils across the school whilst ensuring the National Curriculum objects are taught and met. A focus on local and our school’s history is key within each year group so children understand their local area’s history and historical events such as the development of Windsor Castle (the royals) as well as the development of the new town center (History within living memory).

We aim to use high quality resources to support the teaching and learning including the local environment, visuals, photographs, artefacts, written materials and IT materials.

Our curriculum is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on what has already been taught. On top of this, our History topics are supported by our diverse texts in English which allows for cross curricular links and for the children to develop and demonstrate ‘sticky knowledge’.

Impact

Learning walks, books looks and pupil conferencing are carried out termly to ascertain correct curriculum coverage, high-quality teaching and learning, as well as the children's retention of learning and attitude towards History. Internal moderations are carried out to identify children who are yet to make expected progress. This will then support us in adapting and developing our curriculum accordingly. 

A range of methods are used to discover what our children know and understand; ‘big writes’ at the end of each topic allows for assessment to be carried out to ascertain if the National Curriculum objectives have been met and whether the children have been able to use their research, enquiry and evaluative skills.

Our Early Years children will be assessed against the Early Years Learning Goals. Through these assessments we can evaluate children's understanding of taught concepts and can, in turn, address any misconceptions or gaps in learning. Once this is identified teachers will plan for these to be addressed in the up-coming lessons. This ongoing assessment and support will allow all children to achieve their potential as historians.