History

Intent

At Jolesfield Church of England Primary School, our History curriculum is inspiring, broad and progressive.  It provides opportunities for the children to develop a sense of curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world and gives a chronological understanding to help children make sense of the world they live in and their place in time.  Empathy and understanding is built through studying the lives and struggles of others living in a different historical period. Children are encouraged to appreciate and wonder at cultures, ideas, and traditions that are not their own and led to develop an understanding of why these occurred. We recognise the important role that History plays in preparing our children for living and working in the contemporary world as well as giving them an interest in their past and the past of others.  The units of work that form our curriculum ensures sequential, layered knowledge is interwoven with the acquisition of historical enquiry skills.

Through our Curriculum, our children gain:

• an understanding of past societies and their organisation, allowing them to develop a respect and understanding for other cultures.
• the skills of finding evidence, weighing it up and reaching their own conclusions, for example using aerial photographs, old maps and photographs of Partridge Green to study changes in the village over time and create hypothesises about these changes.  At Jolesfield, children also use links with community organisations such as ‘The Open Door’ Club to learn about changes in living memory within the village.
• A knowledge of the diversity of human experience and an understanding of themselves and society.  For example, through units such as ‘Migration to Britain’.
• A toolkit of historical knowledge, skills and vocabulary to help them become critical and independent thinkers.

Implementation

History teaching and learning at Jolesfield ensures all children follow a  sequential, progressive curriculum whilst having the opportunity to build deeper understanding through asking questions and having opportunities to follow their own interests through historical enquiries.  The planning and teaching of History at Jolesfield ensures the skills and knowledge requirements of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework are met.

Children in Reception at Jolesfield explore different aspects of the world around them through themed learning and by following their own interests.  A mix of adult-led inputs, often using high quality fiction/non-fiction texts, and child-initiated learning help our pupils work towards their relevant Early Learning Goals in interesting and engaging ways.  History is taught via topics in KS1, again often with access to high quality fiction or non-fiction texts to spark children’s interest and enthusiasm.  

History is taught discretely in KS2 and these topics alternate with geographical ones.  History is blocked for an afternoon once a week for a half-term and then alternated with geography.  Key vocabulary and terminology is taught alongside engaging topics.   Outcomes are often cross-curricular and we seek to encourage children to present their ideas creatively.  We encourage children to share their ideas and knowledge about our History topics and discuss what they would like to find out.  Pupil voice is at the heart of our curriculum.

We enhance our Teaching and Learning by:

• Trips to areas of local historical significance, for example, Lewes Castle
• Use of the school grounds and local area, such as St. Georges Church
• Quality primary and secondary resources and texts
• Use of drama techniques, such as hot seating
• Visits to museums such as the Novium museum in Chichester
• Use of visitors
• Staff development to ensure confident and exciting teaching