History

At Woodthorpe our intent, is that by providing children with a deeper knowledge of specifically selected Historical periods relating to British identity, whilst also imbedding an appreciation and insight into other cultures and histories also, children at Woodthorpe are able to make better sense of the world around them and the problems facing the world today. The content covered gives students the opportunity to explore issues at a local, national and international level from the ancient era through to the twentieth century. This range of history offers the opportunity to explore different peoples’ perspectives on issues and events and think critically about the world in which they live

The aim of History teaching at Woodthorpe School is to stimulate the children’s interest and understanding about the lives of people who lived in the past and the cultures they were a part of.

We teach children a sense of chronology, and through this they develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their unique historical heritage. Thus they also learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in a modern and multicultural Britain. In our school, History makes a significant contribution to our work on citizenship by teaching how Britain has developed as a democratic society and by promoting an understanding of British Values.

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 so doing, to develop the skills of enquiry, scrutiny, interpretation, and problem solving.

The objectives of teaching History in our school are:

• to foster in children an interest in the past, and to develop an understanding that enables them to enjoy all that History has to offer;
• to enable children to know about significant events in world History, and to appreciate and value the changes that have occurred as a result of these key events;
• to develop a sense of chronology;
• to know and understand how democracy has developed by studying a range of civilisations from Stone Age to the present day, and, in so doing, to contribute to their own citizenship education;
• to understand how Britain is a part of a wider European culture, and to study some aspects of European History;
• to have some knowledge and understanding of historical development in the wider world (countries and cultures not in Europe);
• to help children understand society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of cultural heritage;
• to develop in children the skills of research, scrutiny, analysis, evaluation and presentation.

Historical skills and understanding are taught through a range of selected planning schemes with a focus on enabling children to think as historians. In each key stage we give children the opportunity to visit sites of historical significance. Where funding is available, we have a variety of visiting History workshops which provide valuable learning opportunities for the children through role-play, practical activities and hands-on experience with replica artefacts. 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 2 interpreted in different ways, and that they should always ask scrupulous questions, such as ‘how do we know?’, about information they are given.

The History curriculum planning is designed to link key concepts, skills, and knowledge progressively. This ensures that pupils are able to make links to previous learning and that class teachers are able to track and assess the key knowledge that is required for the completion of each unit. This includes access to knowledge organisers that make clear the knowledge, vocabulary, and level of enquiry appropriate for each unit studied. Each class teacher follows a plan for each lesson (short-term plans). These plans list specific learning objectives and expected outcomes for each lesson. The class teacher keeps these plans.

We teach History in our Reception class as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. We relate the History side of the children’s work to the objectives set out in Early Learning Goals (ELGs). History makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world, through activities such as dressing up, using replica artefacts in their role-play to learn about wash days in the olden days, looking at pictures and books, or discovering the meaning of vocabulary (‘new’ and ‘old’) in relation to their own lives.