At Ramsden Infants we believe that History makes a valuable and distinctive contribution to pupils’ education.

 Learning about the past and the methods used to study sources and draw conclusions, helps pupils understand and contribute to the world in which they live.  Pupils are given opportunities to develop their awareness of the past and the ways in which it is different from the present. They will start to develop a sense of chronology and begin to develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. We teach children to understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today. We also teach them to investigate these past events and, by doing so, develop the skills of enquiry, interpretation and problem solving. Through studying History, pupils will start to develop some of the skills they will later use in adult life, such as determination, empathy and decision-making.

We aim for the children to:

• Develop an awareness of the past and an appreciation of human achievements and aspirations
• Develop a sense of chronology to help organise their understanding of the past
• Understand how the past was different from the present
• Use appropriate vocabulary relating to the passing of time.
• Develop an awareness of famous people, events and significant changes in History.
• Use a variety of sources to investigate and reflect on the past.
• Develop enquiry skills to ask questions regarding the past.

Intent

Our History Curriculum follows the National Curriculum and provides the knowledge and skills needed for EYFS and Key Stage 1. History is taught through a topic approach and whole school planning shows the progression of the key knowledge and skills throughout school.

Early Years

History is taught in Nursery and Reception as part of the topic work through child-initiated and adult led activities. The children are given the opportunity to talk about and find out about past and present events in their own lives, and those of their families and other people they know.

Key Stage 1

During Key Stage 1, pupils learn about people’s lives in the recent and distant past. They find out about significant men, women, children and events from the past, both locally and internationally. 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.

At Ramsden we provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils. We are committed to responding to pupil’s diverse learning needs. Teachers set suitable learning tasks and respond to each child’s different needs, where appropriate, personalising teaching and learning for pupils with SEND to ensure they make the best possible progress.

Children have the opportunity to learn through a variety of different ways. Planning includes opportunities to increase children’s cultural capital and provide them with experiences to enhance their learning in History.

We provide the children with:

• Access to artefacts
• Access to sources such as books and photographs
• Visitors to talk about their personal experiences of the past
• Stories from the past for them to engage with
• Opportunities to access resources from the internet and videos
• Discussions in groups and as a whole class to share ideas and opinions
• Memorable experiences, including trips and visitors, which will foster a lifelong love of History.

Impact

Through the work in their books, children will show a clear understanding of historical concepts and the use of historical enquiry. They will be able to talk about what they are learning and explain links with what they have previously learned. They will be confident in using timelines and have a developing chronological understanding, being able to place some events in order. Children will have an understanding of some local, national and international events and how these relate to each other.

Each class teacher will assess and monitor the children’s progress and plan accordingly.  Summative assessment will be carried out at the end of each half term or topic and shared with the History Lead for monitoring. The History Lead will also monitor and track teaching and learning across school through pupil discussions, learning walks and scrutinizing planning.