Approaches to History

History Intent, Implementation & Impact Statement

Intent

At Crofton Junior School we intend to ignite the children’s curiosity to help them understand the world in which we live, how events and people have shaped the way we live our lives and how history will shape our future.

History helps pupils to understand the process of change, the diversity of societies as well as their own identity and the challenges of our time.

We aim to provide inquiry-based learning in which the children are encouraged to develop creative and critical thinking skills, ask questions, explore and generate discussion.

Our History themes, focus on the development of three common strands, which relate to our overall curriculum drivers; Nurture, Respect, Inspire. The common strands are: Beliefs and Cultures, Invasion and Settlement and Inventions and Legacy. Focusing on these key strands help the pupils develop a sense of chronology, how people and events have changed over time and the deeper skills of comparing and contrasting within and across periods in time. In doing so, it will enable previous knowledge and vocabulary to be revisited thereby ensuring that the children learn more, know more and remember more.

As well as developing a passion for history, our curriculum provides the children with stimulating and well-planned enrichment activities to support and broaden their learning in school and ensure a cultural understanding.

Implementation

History is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Themes are linked whenever possible to our text driver in order to provide meaningful links in learning across the curriculum.

Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each blocked theme relating to the Chris Quigley milestone statements; these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically so that they learn more, know more & remember more. This will also ensure that the vocabulary of historical enquiry will be introduced and built upon progressively as well as theme specific vocabulary.  

Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.

The local area is fully utilised with opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice through the use of well-planned enrichment activities.

Impact

Outcomes in topic and English books, evidence a broad and balanced History curriculum and demonstrate children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge and vocabulary relating to each of the identified milestone statements and national curriculum strands.

As children progress throughout the school, they develop a deep knowledge and historical understanding, as well as spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This ensures that they are well prepared for the next steps of their education.

The impact of the curriculum is monitored through a combination of discussions with pupils and staff, scrutiny of workbooks and lesson observations in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the quality of the curriculum and highlight areas for further development.