History at HMS

Intent:

At Hanborough Manor School, we believe that History should engage children and inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. The history curriculum at our school draws from and makes full use of the immediate and wider local area, enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality. Through their education at HMS, pupils should gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Teaching equips pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh up evidence, sift through arguments, and nurture a sense of perspective and judgement. History should help pupils to understand the complexity and challenges of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Children at Hanborough Manor School will learn how the past has impacted on their lives today and how their actions today could potentially affect the future.

Our topics are informed by the national curriculum and are considerate of children’s interests, ensuring an engaging experience, as well as the context of the local area. The history curriculum at Hanborough Manor is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy.

Our curriculum aims for our pupils to:

• Gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world which helps to stimulate pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past;

• Are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement;

• Begin 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.

Implementation:

At Hanborough Manor School, There are three focused terms of history per key stage. During these topics, History is taught for a minimum of one hour per week. Some topics can be blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth.

We have developed a progression of skills with each year group, which enables pupils to build on and develop their skills each year. In EYFS/KS1, History begins by looking at the children’s own personal history and introduces them to the idea of chronology and timelines. In KS1, History will look at significant events and people who have shaped society, locally, nationally and globally. In KS2, each year group uses a timeline to chronologically place the period of study and measure the impact of that period on todays world.

In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to review the learning that has taken place in previous topics as well as previous lessons. Children are given a knowledge organiser at the start of each topic which details some key information, dates and vocabulary. This supports children with their acquisition of knowledge and is used as a reference document.

Effective CPD and standardisation opportunities are available to staff to ensure high levels of confidence and knowledge are maintained. Medium term planning for all units will cover key historical concepts: Chronological understanding, Historical knowledge and interpretation, and Historical enquiry.

Children are given opportunities, where possible, to study artefacts leading to enquiry, investigation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and presentation. We plan for effective use of educational visits and visitors, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experience and the History curriculum. Effective modelling by teachers ensures that children are able to achieve their learning intentions, with misconceptions addressed within it.

Through using a range of assessment tools, differentiation is facilitated by teachers, to ensure that each pupil can access the History curriculum. Children are given clear success criteria in order to achieve the Learning Intention with different elements of independence. Cross-curricular links are planned for, with other subjects such as English, Art and Science. Educational, immersive displays that answer key questions help to create a rich learning environment for each History focus.