History at Sutton Bonington

Curriculum Intent

At Sutton Bonington, we want our learners to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We want to inspire in our learners a passion for history and a curiosity to learn as well as understand how and why people interpret the past in different ways.

The intent of our History curriculum is to develop within our learners:

• A rich knowledge of historical events and historical figures, some of whom shaped the world we live in.
• A depth of knowledge that will enable them to use historical concepts in increasingly sophisticated ways.
• A knowledge and understanding of how people’s lives have changed, how diverse societies were, and the challenges that have been encountered.
• An ability to make links between the history of their local community, of Britain, and of the rest of the world.
• An ability to use historical and abstract terms to present, communicate and organise ideas about the past.
• A secure chronological framework on which they can continue to build upon.
• An ability to think like a historian and be able to reflect, discuss, debate and evaluate the past, asking perceptive questions and formulating lines of enquiry.
• The ability to think critically using sources of evidence and artefacts to support their opinion.

Curriculum Implementation

Our history projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s historical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. Key aspects and concepts, such as chronology, cause and effect, similarity and difference, significance and hierarchy, are revisited throughout all projects and are developed over time. All projects also develop historical skills based on evidence and historical enquiry.

The choice of historical periods follows the guidance set out in the national curriculum, with specific details relating to significant events and individuals chosen to present a rich and diverse account of British and world history.

Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, history projects are sequenced accordingly. For example, the project Dynamic Dynasties is taught alongside the art and design project Taotie to give children a better all-round understanding of ancient Chinese arts and culture. All history projects are taught in the autumn and summer terms, with opportunities to revisit historical concepts in some of the spring term geography projects.

In the EYFS, children begin to develop their chronological understanding through familiar contexts such as their own family history and through stories with familiar elements. They are introduced to key vocabulary that is used to describe the passage of time through projects such as ‘Long Ago’ and ‘Moving On’. They will begin to develop their knowledge of key concepts such as ‘monarchy’ as they become familiar with the term ‘royalty’ within the ‘Long Ago’ project. In the Let’s Explore project they will learn about significant people such as explorers from the past. Children will also explore objects from the past and understand how everyday machines and vehicles have changed over time within the ‘Marvellous Machines’ project. They will practice putting familiar events in chronological order as they do within our ‘Ready Steady Grow’ project and will know and talk about similarities and differences between the past and present.

In Year 1, children begin the autumn term by studying the project Childhood. This project builds on children’s past experiences, including their family history and events within living memory, and works well as an introductory project. In the summer term, children study the project School Days. This project enables children to learn the history of their school and compare schooling in the Victorian period.

In the autumn term of Year 2, children extend their studies to explore a broader range of periods in the project Movers and Shakers. This project explores the concept of significance and the significant people that have greatly influenced history. In the summer term, children study the project Magnificent Monarchs. This project introduces children to the challenging concepts of power and monarchy in preparation for more complex historical topics in Key Stage 2. The projects studied in Key Stage 1 provide numerous opportunities for children to explore significant historical events, people and places in their locality.

In Year 3, children begin the autumn term by studying the chronology of British history in the project Through the Ages. This project teaches children about the significance of prehistoric periods and the changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. In the summer term, children continue to develop their knowledge of the chronology of British history in the project Emperors and Empires. This project teaches children about the Roman Empire, its invasion of Britain and Britain’s ensuing Romanisation.

In the autumn term of Year 4, children resume their learning about British history in the project Invasion. This project teaches children about the Roman withdrawal and the invasion and settlement of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. This project concludes at 1066, which meets the guidance from the national curriculum for British history. In the summer term of Year 4, children begin their studies of ancient history by studying the overview project Ancient Civilisations. This project enables children to learn about the achievements of the earliest civilisations, including ancient Sumer, the Indus Valley civilisation and ancient Egypt.

In the autumn term of Year 6, children study the more complex historical issues of enslavement, colonialism and power in the project Maafa. In this project, children explore a range of African kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Benin, and study Britain’s role in the development, perpetuation and abolition of the slave trade. In the summer term of Year 6, children complete their historical studies with the project Britain at War. This project enables children to study the role war has played in Britain’s history since 1066, focusing on the First and Second World Wars as crucial turning points in British history. Throughout the history scheme, there is complete coverage of all national curriculum programmes of study.

Due to our mixed age class structure, we intend to ensure coverage of the following projects by the time they leave Key Stage 2. Children will continue to build their knowledge of ancient civilisations with an in-depth analysis of ancient China in the project Dynamic Dynasties. This project enables children to study the significance and influence of ancient China and its prowess and advancements in the written word, technology and metalwork. Children further study ancient and world history in the project Groundbreaking Greeks. This project enables children to explore life in ancient Greece, including examining the achievements and influence of ancient Greece on the western world.

Throughout our history curriculum, there is complete coverage of all national curriculum programmes of study.

Curriculum Impact

Through the explicit teaching of the history curriculum, teachers and pupils assess their learning throughout the lesson (AFL). Within the projects, pupils take part in low stakes quizzes to help practice knowledge retrieval and at the end of a project in Key Stage 2, learners complete short summative tests and tasks which provide opportunities for more focused assessment of knowledge acquisition. This then helps our learners to build a schema of connections of concepts and knowledge which they can retrieve throughout their continued learning journey in history. We hope pupils will be encouraged to undertake research independently to further their own enjoyment across a range of history topics.