History

Knowledge and Skills Progression

Kenn and Kenton History progression

Through learning about different periods and cultures, children develop a sense of time and an understanding of how the past affects our lives today.  Opportunities will be given to all children to find out about the past from a variety of resources available in the school; artefacts, books, internet, picture slides and videos.  Fieldwork and visits are encouraged to extend this knowledge.

History Curriculum

Design Document

History Intent

Kenn C of E Primary School is situated in the Southwest of England in the outskirts of the historical city of Exeter. The study of history ignites children’s curiosity about the past in their local community, Britain and the wider world. Through finding out about how and why the world, our country, culture and local community have developed over time, children understand how the past influences the present. History enables children to develop a context for their growing sense of identity and a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. What they learn through history can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values. At Kenn Primary our intent, when teaching history, is to stimulate the children’s curiosity in order for them to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding 

History Implementation 

• Our History curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish and become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. It is important that the children develop the progressive skills of a historian. The curriculum builds on prior knowledge and as the pupils move through the school, it challenges them to demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of significant people, places, situations, changes and events of British history through synthesising and investigating relevant information from a broad range of historical sources, thereby developing skills in the following areas of history: 
• Constructing the Past-so that our pupils can understand how history fits together.
• Sequencing the Past-so that our pupils can understand the chronology of history and understand key times and places.
• Continuity and Change-so that our pupils can identify how somethings have changed and some have stayed the same.
• Cause and Effect-so that our pupils can understand that some events in history have brought about another event which has produced implications and so that they can realise whether impacts of historical events/people had negative or positive impacts.
• Significance and Interpretation-so that our pupils can identify what is important and why, whilst also knowing that our understanding of the past comes from different places and sources.
• Historical Enquiries- so that our pupils can plan and carry out their own independent investigations to yield a better understanding of the past.
• Using Sources as evidence-so that our pupils understand that history is made up of a variety of different sources and to make judgements using primary and secondary sources.
• Vocabulary-so that our pupils can become more articulate historians.

Children’s outcomes for history are presented both in exercise books and online using Seesaw. In using a variety of sources to present learning, children are enabled, no matter their ability, to access the learning that takes place within each Learning Enquiry. 

We assess the impact of Learning Enquiries through: 

• SLT reviews: they meet with children and question them on their learning and determine the depth of knowledge achieved. 
• Detailed concept maps are constructed prior to and after learning to show the knowledge and skills the children have attained.

To further enrich and add more value to their learning experience in History, children will enjoy school trips and welcome visitors – all of which work to build each individual’s cultural capital. Throughout their time at Kenn Primary school the pupils do not just learn a series of facts about the past. In History, they are encouraged to find evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusion. To do this successfully, as historians, they need to be able to research, interpret evidence, including primary and secondary sources, and have the necessary skills to argue for their point of view. 

History Impact

By the end of their time at Kenn Primary school the pupils should have developed: 

• A secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered. 
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
• The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence derived from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgements.
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.

Important to note 

Although much of this document is completed there are still many aspects of it that are still being developed. The aim of this document is to have the facts, knowledge and skills clearly mapped out for teachers to implement in their classrooms. 

Meeting the needs of our disadvantaged children, including Children Looked After, those eligible for Pupil Premium funding and those with SEND 

History ignites a passion for learning in children as the barriers that come with learning a core subject are often removed: children are empowered to present their learning in more creative ways. Children are encouraged to be independent in their learning and to have a drive to do well. Adaptations are not made to the curriculum subjects but are made to the ways in which teachers deliver content and provide scaffolding for individuals through planned use of IT and other resources. Trips, visits, and visitors in this subject are included throughout the year, giving our disadvantaged children the opportunity to develop their cultural capital, apply their knowledge and understanding, and broaden their vocabulary.