Intent
At Sacred Heart we are Historians! We want out children to have a love of history. We want children to have no limit to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be archaeologists, museum curators, archivists or research analysts. Our aim is that, through the teaching of history, we stimulate curiosity about the past and an interest in the life of people who lived in the past. We want our children to think like historians, developing knowledge, skills and understanding of why the past can be interpreted in different ways. We teach children a sense of chronology, in order to develop a sense of identify and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. This enables our children to learn to value their own and other people's cultures in modern Britain.
We aim to deliver a history curriculum that is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, understand more and remember more. We aim to offer a high-quality history education that will help our children gain a secure knowledge and understanding of Britain's past and that of the wider world, whilst developing a passion for learning in this subject. Enthused learners. The curriculum is structured in a way that allows for children to make links between current and previous learning.
Implementation
Our curriculum covers the National Curriculum and has been designed to ensure clear progression in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, while building on prior learning. The curriculum is underpinned by the building blocks of 'threshold concepts,' which are evident and revisited in the history curriculum across school.
The 'Threshold Concepts' are as follows:
- Developing chronological understanding
- Communicating History
- Investigating the Past
- Thinking like an Historian
Each unit of work has a clear rationale, key vocabulary, builds on children's prior learning and has clearly defined 'end points' of the minimum knowledge and skills that children will learn. The curriculum units of work have been sequenced to ensure that children know more and remember more as they progress through primary school into KS3. Assessment strands in units allow children to demonstrate their learning while the retrieval activities and 'Learn it! Link it!' knowledge companions help children to remember the key elements of the unit of work. Children are able to organise their learning into relevant areas and make links within and across other subjects, promoting purposeful learning. Our curriculum makes links to local history where we are able to.
Units are structured to set out 'sequential components of learning' which provide 8-10 hours of teaching.
Curriculum Overview - History Sequence of work from Early Years - Year 6
How is History taught at Sacred Heart?
In our History lessons, we ensure that pupils' substantive and disciplinary knowledge is built upon year on year.
Substantive knowledge - the historical content to develop knowledge about the past, e.g. concepts such as authority, monarchy, power
Disciplinary knowledge - the skills taught to carry out historical enquiry and investigate the past, and how to construct historical claims, arguments and accounts.
So that children learn more and know more, we believe it is vital that our history curriculum develops both categories.
Impact
Children leaving our school, will know more, understand more and remember more about history. They will have developed a secure knowledge of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered and develop the ability to think and write like an historian.
Through the high quality first teaching of History, we will see the impact of the subject in different ways e.g through books, assessments and pupil voice.
Work will show that a range of themes are being covered (conceptual - Golden threads), concepts are revisited, and links to other subjects are made where possible.
Assessments and monitoring will show standards in History will be high and will match standards in other subject areas. The impact of this curriculum design will lead to outstanding progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will leave Sacred Heart with firm foundations in History and leave having reached age-related expectations. Our History curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic history learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice and their work in books demonstrating children's key knowledge, skills and unit 'end points'.
Pupil Voice
Discussions and feedback show that children talk enthusiastically about the topics they have studied in History. They will show that they understand the importance of this subject and talk with confidence, using appropriate vocabulary.