History

The teaching of history gives pupils an understanding of the past through learning about human achievements and experiences. We investigate a range of sources to ask and answer questions about the past and how these impact the world we live in today. We examine the children’s own personal history, and develop their sense of chronology through the study of topics throughout the key stages. Over the course of the past two years, the staff of St James’ have worked to revitalise and adapt the history curriculum to the needs of our children. We feel that the curriculum is now an enriched and cohesive sequence of topics which our children will truly enjoy! Please check our Curriculum, Overviews and Knowledge Organisers below

History in Action St James'

Yr6 History - Howard Carter's Diary (Ancient Egypt)

In History, Yr6 continued their work from English around Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. They discussed the treasures found and produced some amazing diary extracts. They shared a range of their amazing "Did you know....?" statements.

Yr6 History - The Blitz (World War II)

This week Yr6 learnt about the effects The Blitz had on families, buildings and people in major cities across Great Britain. We investigated people sheltering from the bombs with our VR headsets. This then allowed us to produce some amazing and emotive descriptive writing based around The Blitz. Wel

Yr4 History - Mayan Day

Year 4 have been very lucky this morning, a time traveller visited us in school and took us back in time 4000 years! The children learnt about the Maya Civilisation as part of our history topic....

The national curriculum states that a high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps 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.

  • know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
  • know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
  • gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
  • understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
  • understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
  • gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales

By the end of a child’s journey through their historical study at St James’ Haslingden, they should be equipped with an inherent inquisitiveness about the past and how it has shaped the world we live in today. The children should know and understand high end historical vocabulary (such as primary and secondary sources and chronology) as well as key facts and skills that enable them to ask questions about the past to help them clearly understand what happened and how it impacted on the world at that time. Ultimately, allowing the children to ask questions about the past and learn from it in order to not repeat the mistakes of it.

At St James’ Haslingden, we have developed our history curriculum by using a triangulation approach to curriculum development and design.

This is done by: identifying key vocabulary that the children must know to access their topics; developing inquisitive and insightful questions that engage learner’s natural questioning around topics and key fact and knowledge that the children will acquire as they go through their geographical journey within their topics.

We have identified key skills for each individual historical topic across all year groups. This has enabled teachers to really focus on how the children are going to obtain these skills within their topics.

Starting sessions with key questions enables the children to be engaged in their understanding of what they are being taught but also enables easier assessment of how the concepts have been taught and the understanding obtained in each session.

Identifying key vocabulary prior to teaching each topic allows for an easier transition of understanding acquired by the children. It also breaks down misconceptions about words and enables cross curricular opportunities for upskilling vocabulary across writing topics.

We have developed a scheme of work for each topic that enables staff to understand what they need to cover for knowledge, vocabulary and skills taught in their year groups.

The impact of what we have done has been positive for children, teachers and subject leadership.

Teachers understand clearly what they have to teach but also why they have to teach it. This allows for teachers who find history a difficult subject; to feel empowered and confident about their delivery. It also gives signposts for all in terms of resources available in school and out of school. This saves teacher time in terms of planning and preparation and impacts massively on their work life balance. Ultimately, allowing teachers to be more confident of their delivery of history.

Teachers know explicitly what needs to be taught in their topics and this also allows for teachers to be creative in how they would like to teach their topic but also allows for teachers new to the subject to feel safe about what they are delivering meets the standards required and helps them develop their own knowledge and understanding of their skills and vocabulary.

For the children, the first major impact we have seen is that they enjoy their history lessons. Through pupil conferencing, pupils can explain their key vocabulary being taught and can explain geographical concepts taught by using the knowledge and skills obtained through a historical topic.

Miss S Arshad

History Co-ordinator

History Curriculum Intent

EYFS History Overview
EYFS Overviews

Click on the link below to view EYFS History Overview

Learning in EYFS History

Year 1 History Overviews and Knowledge Organisers
Year 1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Click on the links below to view Yr1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Year 1 Toys-Past and Present and Yr1 Toys Past and Present KO

Year 1 Nurturing Nurses and Yr1 Nurturing Nurses KO

Year 1 Travel and Transport and Yr1 Travel and Transport KO

Year 2 History Overviews and Knowledge Organisers
Year 2 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Click on the links below to view Yr1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Year 2 The Great Fire of London and Yr2 The Great Fire of London KO

Year 2 Significant Explorers and Yr2 Significant Explorers KO

Year 3 History Overviews and Knowledge Organisers
Year 3 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Click on the links below to view Yr1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Year 3 Riotous Royals and Yr3 British Monarchs

Year 3 Vicious Vikings and Yr3 Vikings

Year 3 Anglo Saxon Britain and Yr3 Anglo Saxons

Year 4 History Overviews and Knowledge Organisers
Year 4 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Click on the links below to view Yr1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Year 4 Romanisation and Yr4 Roman Britain KO

Year 4 Early Islamic Civilisation and Early Islamic Civilisation – KO

Year 4 The Maya Civilisation and Yr4 Mayan Civilisation KO

Year 5 History Overviews and Knowledge Organisers
Year 5 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Click on the links below to view Yr1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Year 5 World War I and Yr5 WWI

Year 5 Shang Dynasty and Yr5 Shang Dynasty

Year 5 Ancient Greece and Yr5 Ancient Greece

Year 6 History Overviews and Knowledge Organisers
Year 6 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Click on the links below to view Yr1 Overviews and Knowledge Organisers

Year 6 World War II and Yr6 WWII

Year 6 Ancient Egyptians and Yr6 Ancient Egypt

Year 6 Stone Age and Yr6 Stone Age to Iron Age