VISION -Being a Historian at Lyppard Grange Primary School
At Lyppard Grange Primary School, we envision children gaining a passion for history by providing them with opportunities to explore the past, to understand past events and to think and act like historians. We want pupils to develop into curious and critical thinkers who can ask questions, analyse historical evidence, and understand the impact history has had on the world they live in.
INTENT
At Lyppard Grange Primary School, our intention is to build pupil’s awareness of significant individuals and events in world, British and local history and to recognise how things have changed over time. We want to pupils to understand how historians study the past and support them to carry out their own historical enquiries by examining evidence, asking questions, and evaluating sources. In each year group, pupils develop their understanding of chronology, particularly in British history, and can make connections over different periods of time. Pupils will be introduced to the substantive concepts or power, invasion, settlement, empire, civilisation, religion, trade and achievements of humankind. We have adapted the ‘Kapow’ history curriculum to enhance our own and use our thematic teaching to bring the past to life, give the children a purpose to their learning and strengthen cross curricular links.
EYFS
By the end of EYFS pupils will…
• Talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society.
• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Understand the past through settings, characters, and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.
Key Stage 1 National Curriculum aims:
By the end of KS1…
• Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time using a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
• Children should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other historical sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
• Children should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented and by whom.
• Children should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• Understand changes within living memory. Where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life.
• Know about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally, for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries.
• Learn about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods.
• Talk about significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
Key Stage Two National Curriculum aims:
By the end of KS2…
• Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
• Children should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
• Children should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
• Children should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources, investigating and questioning these sources where appropriate.
Pupils should be taught about:
• Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
• The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
• Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
• The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
• A local history study
• A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
• The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
• Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
• A non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.
IMPLEMENTATION
To ensure the pupils at Lyppard Grange Primary School meet the National Curriculum standards, we use the ‘Kapow’ curriculum to explore:
Topic knowledge
Chronological awareness
Substantive concepts (Power, Trade, Religion, Invasion, Settlement, Civilisation and Achievements of Mankind)
Historical enquiry
Disciplinary concepts (change and continuity; cause and consequence; similarities and differences; historical significance; historical interpretation and sources of evidence).
In EYFS, children explore history by looking on key experiences from their own past which helps them understand that they each have their own histories. As well as this, they take part in activities which compare and contrast characters from stories and historical figures.
In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, history themes are organised around answering an enquiry-based question. We aim to ensure our history lessons are engaging, varied and challenging where pupils will have opportunities to think critically, question, discuss, understand different arguments and form conclusions. They will be given opportunities to weigh evidence, explore artefacts, work independently, work with their peers, go on educational visits, and invite visitors into school. Through their time in school, pupils will revisit and build on the knowledge and skills they have previously learnt to help them make links and support their understanding of the substantive concepts as well as developing their disciplinary knowledge and skills.
IMPACT
At Lyppard Grange Primary School, pupils will be happy and engaged learners with a developing sense of chronology and knowledge of the past. They will have a curiosity for the past which will encourage them to ask questions. Pupils will be able to use their skills as a historian to weigh facts, explore evidence and make informed conclusions. Teachers at Lyppard Grange Primary School will use formative assessment opportunities to ensure that our history curriculum is having the desired impact.