Sherwood Park Primary School

‘Every child has an enquiring mind about the world and their place in it.'

At Sherwood Park we believe that history education should be fully inclusive and maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement. Our aim is to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about history through a broad and balanced curriculum; ensuring the progressive development of historical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to develop a love for history which will help them have a better understanding of the world in which they live, along with a sense of identity based on local history and cultural heritage.

Intent

• To build a history curriculum that is taught through a termly theme driven by a 'big question'.  The school’s themes will be cross-curricular and engage our children, whilst meeting the needs of all backgrounds, cultures and abilities.  History will be taught both alongside and, when appropriate, separate to geography within this theme. The 'big question' intends to develop a depth of learning across the term, resulting in pupils knowing more, remembering more and understanding more. 
• To embed history into a progressive curriculum, giving children the appropriate subject knowledge and skills so that they can reach and exceed their potential at Sherwood Park Primary School and beyond.
• To ensure that children are taught about varied historical events and famous people that have helped to shape the world they live in today as well as helping them understand society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of their cultural heritage.
• To apply the knowledge and skills acquired within history lessons to other subjects to make learning memorable and fun, for example, producing art or DT projects which support their understanding, such as making Roman shields to use in a reenacted battle and wearing accurate historically-accurate costumes on topic launch days.   

Implementation

We will achieve this through:

• A topic/theme overview that incorporates relevant history coverage, using a main enquiry 'big question' to drive the learning. 
• A topic/theme that will foster curiosity and engagement of the children, interweaving history implicitly through the theme. 
• A clear sequence for progression, incorporating the knowledge and skills as set out in the National Curriculum 2014 and mapped out in the school’s topic and history document.
• A clear understanding of the chronology of each new theme and where this fits with children's history learning so far and future learning
• Coverage of important, historical vocabulary.
• Progress will be assessed through book monitoring and through assessment of the children’s knowledge prior to teaching a new topic then a re-assessment at the end of each topic.  This will help inform the teachers’ judgement. 
• Educational visits, (particularly focusing on the local vicinity, such as Hall Place), and visitors into school. 

Impact

• More children will achieve age related expectations and reach their full potential in history at the end of their cohort year.
• Evidence of work will show a range of history being taught across the topics, and cross-curriculum links.
• High expectations of standards will bring History and Geography book quality in line with other subjects such as English. 
• Children’s natural curiosity will have been fired, encouraging a life-long interest in understanding the past and the impact it has on their present and future, particularly in their local and cultural communities.