What are we aiming for?

Our history curriculum aims to instill a love of history in all of our children and to ignite their natural curiosity and fascination about the past. We enable children to make links between the past, the present and the future. By studying history, children are able to understand events and daily life from the past and compare them to their own lives today. At times, they are able to see the impact of the past on their own lives, identifying how this has impacted the way we live today. Through history, we aim to develop the skills of investigating / researching, comparing and reasoning. 

How will we do it?

History units are taught for a term and there are typically two lessons per week. Across the school, some terms have a history focus and some terms have a geography focus, ensuring an appropriate quantity of history learning across the whole school. Teachers plan carefully to ensure that all learning objectives are covered, selecting the most appropriate resource for each objective, from a variety of sources. Memorable activities are planned for that enable children to become fully immersed in their history learning, these include: museum visits, history days and history workshops / visitors. Trips and visitors are carefully planned for to ensure that they link closely with the learning in the classroom. Children experience a range of primary and secondary sources, including ICT, as a stimulus and source of information. Where appropriate and impactful, Curriculum links are made to further help to fully immerse children in their history learning, for example, by using linked history texts in English to facilitate writing and studying linked artists / styles of art.  

History is taught in Reception Class as an integral part of the topic work through child-initiated and adult led activities. 

How does history at Felbridge Primary School promote diversity?

Through history, our children learn about a wide range of historical characters from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders. They recognise when poor choices have been made, in the past, based on ethnic/social background/gender and understand how we can learn from mistakes of the past.

How does history at Felbridge Primary School help children develop an understanding of SMSC?

Through history, children learn about the various laws that different societies have abided by. They learn about the different forms of government and rule and can relate this to our own democratic government. Children learn about the importance of respect and tolerance of others, regardless of their differing beliefs. They learn about the importance of individual liberty. These lessons from history influence and shape the future decisions that they make. Children learn about their local area which encourages pride in their local heritage. They participate in whole school events, such as Remembrance Day and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and traditional British events such as Harvest and Christmas, providing them with a real sense of heritage and belonging and encouraging a pride in their culture / country.  

How does history at Felbridge Primary School ensure that pupil premium, SEND and other disadvantaged children can fully access the curriculum?

All Children, of all abilities and needs, can access and enjoy history. Tasks are designed to be accessible for all children, appropriately supporting and challenging individual children. All children are supported to access the learning through a variety of strategies: differentiation, adult support, peer support and pair/small group work. We felt that, particularly in the younger years, some children were being held back by their ability to record their learning and so have removed this obstacle with the introduction of ‘Floor Books’ into EYFS and KS1. The Floor Books put a lot of emphasis on speaking and listening and hands on learning – accessible for all.  

What will our approach result in?

Children at Felbridge Primary School enjoy history! They are engaged during history lessons and want to find out more. They are curious about the past and enjoy asking questions about the past. Our children develop their understanding of chronology, both of the wider world and of the local environment. They understand that we learn about history from a variety of sources. They develop their research skills, their use of historical vocabulary and they enjoy learning historical facts.