Bellfield Infant School
INTENT
At Bellfield Infant School, we aim for our children to be ambitious, curious and interested. History is taught to inspire our pupils and invite them to be inquisitive about the world and its past. We aim for our children to be confident and have high self-esteem and strive to teach history through cross-curricular approaches. We aim to ensure teaching in history is progressive, key historical skills are paramount to learning and children develop a sense of chronological understanding.
Our intention is that all pupils:
- will be provided with curiosity, creativity, resourcefulness, resilience and responsibility, which will enable them to explore the foundations of life-long historians.
- Have an interest in the past, and to develop an understanding that enables them to enjoy all that history has to offer
- know about significant events in British history, and to develop a sense of chronology
- are inspired to ‘think as a historian’, being curious to know more about the past with the ability to ask perceptive questions, think critically and develop perspective and a point of view
- Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world
- begin to use common words and phrases relating to the passing of time and know where the events studied fit within the chronological framework.
- Develop reasoning and understanding to enable them to identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
- Have a developing understanding of historical enquiry
- understand society and their place within it, so they develop a sense of cultural heritage
We strive to ensure our pupils develop an excellent knowledge and understanding of people and events from history. We aspire for our pupils to have the ability to think critically and communicate their ideas confidently. Through a rich, broad and balanced approach to history teaching and learning, our aim is to develop our pupil’s natural curiosity of the world.
IMPLEMENTATION
Our curriculum is designed to ensure learning is built on over time in an organised and sequential way. Staff ensure that pupils are building on prior learning and address themes that are relevant to the local environment as well as being connected to other curriculum subjects. We aim to give our pupils a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world and to stimulate curiosity to know more about the past.
Lessons are taught with depth providing opportunities for pupils to ask perceptive questions. There is a clear purpose for the learning where teaching ensures pupils can think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.
History teaching and learning help pupils to understand 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 and the challenges of their time.
Children are engaged through questioning, a range of resources and interactive methods. They develop resilience and respect for others through history teaching as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
IMPACT
History helps pupils to begin to understand the world around them. We aim for our pupils to gain a sense of their own identity within a complex world. Questioning, discussions and marking provide opportunists for staff to assess children knowledge and understanding. The impact of the history curriculum will be measured in the following ways:
- Pupil voice – children are able to confidently talk about their learning and recall recent and previous learning
- Pupil voice – children are able to show how historical knowledge is impacting on their choices as citizens
- Standards and quality of children’s learning as evaluated through learning reviews and book monitoring.
Our pupils will be able to:
- Demonstrate a developing awareness of the past
- Describe the people and events studied
- Identify similarities and differences between ways of life
- Use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
- Ask and answer questions choosing
- Demonstrate an understanding of some of the ways in which we find out about the past.
Teaching and Learning
History at Bellfield Infant School is taught following the National Curriculum, EYFS Framework and Development Matters.
History teaching focuses on enabling pupils to think as historians and the processes in history. We recognise and value the importance of stories in history teaching and we regard this as an important way of stimulating interest in the past. We focus on helping children understand that historical events can be interpreted in different ways. Historical knowledge, skills and understanding is built upon across the school and children are exposed to a range of texts, information sources and historical viewpoints. We aim to set tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses.
Emphasis is placed on the development of knowledge and a historical perspective alongside factual knowledge.
History is taught through teacher presentations, role play, drama, storytelling, question and answer sessions, discussions and research. We aim to provide opportunities for fieldwork, and visits to museums and sites of historic interest.
Through our teaching of history, we provide opportunities for pupils to develop the key skills of co-operation, improving on pupils own learning and performance, problem-solving, thinking skills and communication.
Assessment
At Bellfield Infant school, assessment for learning is a continuous throughout the planning, teaching, and learning cycle. Historical knowledge and understanding are taught to enable and promote the development of children’s historical skills.
Assessment is supported by:
- Observing children at work, individually, in pairs, in a group and in class during whole class teaching.
- Using differentiated, open-ended questions.
- Providing effective feedback.
- Book moderation and monitoring of outcomes of work.
Planning and Resources
History resources are stored and can be located easily. Our school library contains various and an extensive supply of history topic books to support children’s individual research. Children can also use various ICT resources to support their learning. Home learning can be supported through activities available on our DB Learning Platform. These are cross-curricular and support children learning of history at home.
Planning is achieved collaboratively with parallel year group colleagues and linked to topic overviews. Each topic overview makes explicit links to the national curriculum 2014, EYFS Framework or Development Matters. Additional cross curricular outcomes are also identified prior to teaching.
EYFS
Early Years explore history themes and content through the Understanding of the World strand of the EYFS curriculum. Following the Educational Programmes:
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.
Staff in EYFS use a range of stories and non-fiction texts to explore history and inspire curiosity and wonder in pupils. Awareness of the ELGs by the end of the year, Educational Programmes and COEL ensure opportunities are provided for children to achieve and be successful in history by the end of Reception in EYFS. This involves guiding the children to develop sense of their physical world, as well as their community, through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. They are assessed according to the Development Matters agenda and EYFSP.
Key Stage One
During Key Stage 1, pupils learn about people’s lives and lifestyles. They find out about significant people 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.
Key Stage One National Curriculum aims:
- Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
- They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
- They should use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
- They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
- They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
- In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching about the people, events and changes outlined below, teachers are often introducing pupils to historical periods that they will study more fully at key stages 2 and 3.
- Pupils should be taught about:
- changes within living memory. Where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life
- events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]
- the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods [for example, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and LS Lowry, Rosa Parks and Emily Davison, Mary Seacole and/or Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell]
- significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
Equal Opportunities
All children regardless of their race, sex, religion, religious belief, or ability will be given equal opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of History. British History, where possible, is set within the context of Europe and the World. When selecting source material, a range of perspectives and viewpoints are represented, including those of men and women of different racial, national or religious groups. Care is taken that societies are not just represented from the British perspective but also from their own. The importance of the pupil’s own cultural background is recognised as a resource which may give an alternative view of events from the past as well as the present. Health and safety
Health and safety
Fieldwork and site visits are an important part of Historical work and school health and safety guidelines will be adhered to at all times.