Subject leader: Mrs S Hurst

Intent

At Sneyd Academy we see History as a foundation for pupils to be inspired and curious about the past. History is brought to life through engaging teaching, WOW days, trips and visitors in order for pupils to gain knowledge and understanding about the past. Our History curriculum is fully inclusive for every child and develops learning which results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills enabling children to enquire, research and analyse in History.

As a result of our History curriculum, children will know more, remember more and understand more.

The Curriculum

The History curriculum follows the EYFS and National Curriculum History Programmes of study and is sequenced to build on knowledge, skills and understanding. We provide a balanced and broad-based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences for later life.

In KS2, the History Curriculum is planned so that children are learning the chronology of time and have previous learning to build upon. Learning journeys show the children what they have previously been taught and where their learning will take them. It is our belief that it is essential to secure an understanding of chronology through the use of timelines.

We believe that local history is an important part of the curriculum and have therefore included this throughout Key Stage 2 to ensure that children know how and why their local community has developed in the way it has, investigate people and events that took place in the area where they live, develop a sense of historical curiosity about their area, see how their locality was involved in, responded to and was affected by regional, national and international events and strengthen their chronological understanding and their appreciation of how and why some things change and others remain the same.

EYFS

History is taught through the EYFS framework and is part of Knowledge and Understanding of the World.  ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’ are the big questions asked and these are developed through ‘chitter chatter’ time which also introduces chronology and how things develop/change/stay the same over time. This makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s understanding of the world.

Enrichment

To enhance the History curriculum we value educational visits, visitors and WOW days to inspire curiosity and to allow the children to make connections between what they have learned in class and the experience which they have acquired from historical specialists.

Such visits/visitors/WOW days include:

Year 2 – Great Fire of London WOW day and a talk from a nurse.

Year 3 – Primary source school journals, Roman WOW day.

Year 4 – Egyptian and Anglo Saxon visitor days, historical local community walk

Year 5 – Viking visitor day, visit to Apedale mine

Year 6 – WWII WOW day, visit to Shrewsbury Jail