History

We believe a rich and well-structured history curriculum enables children to develop a deep understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our approach broadens horizons, challenges assumptions, and equips pupils with essential life skills to support their journey through secondary school and beyond.

What is History?

History is about real people who lived, and real events which happened in the past. History is concerned with sequence, time and chronology and is the study of evidence about the past; it gives us a sense of identity, set within our social, political, cultural and economic relationships.

History fires the children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world and plays an essential part in preparing us for living and working in the contemporary world. Pupils consider how the past influences the present, what past societies were like, how these societies organised their politics, and what beliefs and cultures influenced people’s actions. As they do this, children develop a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. They see the diversity of human experience, and understand more about themselves as individuals and members of society.

What they learn can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values. In history, children find evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions. To do this they need to be able to research, sift through evidence, and argue for their point of view – skills that are prized in adult life.

Our curriculum has been thoughtfully designed to ensure that historical knowledge and understanding build progressively throughout each stage of learning. We also recognise the vital role history plays in raising aspirations and preparing children to become thoughtful, informed, and responsible citizens. By exploring change over time, societal development, and human experiences, pupils gain valuable context for understanding both themselves and others.

We aim to spark curiosity and a lifelong interest in the past. Our curriculum encourages children to ask insightful questions, think critically, evaluate evidence, and develop informed perspectives.

Through the study of history, pupils come to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the diversity of societies, and the evolving relationships between different groups. They also gain a stronger sense of identity and insight into the challenges faced in different eras: lessons that resonate with their own lives today.

Intent

At Dollis Primary School, our intent is for pupils to love learning history! Through our raft of carefully sequenced historical activities and teaching, at the end of year 6, the Dollis child will:

• Be a confident historian;
• Know and understand Britain’s past and that of the wider work
• Have an understanding of chronology, changes within a time and across time periods;
• Explore the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity, cause and consequences;
• Learn about how the actions of significant people in the past and significant events which have shaped Britain as society.;
• Enquire, investigate, interpret evidence, ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement;
• Revisit substantive historical concepts: throughout key stage 1 and key stage 2, so that they know more and remember more. eg: Empire, Monarchy. Peasantry, Civilisation, Exploration and Invasion.

Implementation

History is taught in Reception as an integral part of the topic work through child-initiated and adult led activities. The children are given the opportunity to find out about past and present events in their own lives, and those of their families and other people they know. In the Foundation stage history makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s understanding of the world through activities such as looking at pictures of famous people in history or discovering the meaning of new and old in relation to their own lives.

During Key Stage 1, pupils learn about people’s lives and lifestyles. They find out about significant men, women, children and events from the recent and more distant past in Britain and the wider world. They listen, and respond to stories and use sources of information to help them ask and answer questions. They learn how the past is different from the present.

During Key Stage 2 pupils learn about significant people, events and places from both recent and more distant pasts. They learn about change and continuity in their own area, in Britain and in other parts of the world. They look at history in a variety of ways, for example from political, economic, technological and scientific, social, religious, cultural or aesthetic perspectives. They use different sources of information to help them investigate the past both in depth and in overview, using dates and historical vocabulary to describe events, people and developments.