A member of Dales Academies Trust
History Curriculum Statement
At Carnagill School, our curriculum is built around the attitudes and values of independence, curiosity, aspiration, commitment, kindness and pride. Our school motto of ‘Inspiring Bright Futures Together’ demonstrates our commitment to developing the whole child so that they can succeed in life. Mental health and well-being is a key driver in restoring our school community after the disruption of the pandemic.
At Carnagill School, the curriculum we offer is based around the four key principles of:
We underpin all of this with:
Context
History lessons will be engaging and offer opportunities for exploration, curiosity and the sharing of knowledge. At Carnagill, we are educating children to understand their place in society and history. Living on the garrison, children are surrounded by landmarks and places of importance that are steeped in history as well as the modern history of the garrison itself. We are educating pupils and aiming to engage parents to recognise the importance of historical events, places and times as well as to identify their place in history. We understand that many of our pupils are unaware of the history that surrounds them and, therefore, we believe that it is important for children to experience history first hand and, where possible, be given every possible opportunity to be curious and ignite their excitement and engagement in the subject. The school has a small minority of children from other cultures. It is important to us that these children are given ample opportunities to share their cultural and personal histories with others within a trusting, understanding and respectful environment.
Intent
At Carnagill Primary School, we want children to:
- Be independent by using key vocabulary in context and linking it to specific events, time periods and people, in order to learn more and present learning in own ways
- Be curious by showing endeavour to further their knowledge, asking questions and showing enthusiasm to discuss, evaluate and explore a range of historical sources.
- Show aspiration to become expert historians by learning more and remembering more. Children will be offered opportunities to explore history in engaging ways such as visits, visitors and the use of historical sources.
- Show commitment to learning more and remembering more to make a better future by learning from the mistakes of the past.
- Be kind by recognising when things have not been fair in the past and showing empathy and offering solutions to resolve these injustices.
- Be proud by understanding their place in history and sharing their knowledge with others including peers, parents and beyond.
Implementation
Our school’s curriculum is taught through exciting and engaging topics where children are exposed to a variety of engaging stimuli. Within relevant topics, history will be taught as a block to ensure children have a learning experience focus on depth rather than breadth. Timetables will also be flexible to allow for greater depth of study and for clear links to be made across subjects. By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They will be able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Interlinked with this will be studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Rome and the Egyptians as well as carefully chosen significant historical figures.
Lessons will include:
- A ‘key question’ that is the driver of the lesson. It will be discussed at the beginning, end and throughout the lesson.
- Subject specific and key vocabulary that will be modelled and used by the teacher.
- Opportunities for children to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop their own perspectives and opinions.
- A range of sources to allow children to access and experience history first hand and take a hands-on approach.
- An engaging teacher input that includes clear modelling, discussion and independent thinking opportunities.
- Time for independent work in which children will have a choice in how their work is presented.
- Time for children to share their work with others including peers, teachers and parents. This can be done through discussion and showing work in person or on Seesaw, display boards, WOW work walls and assemblies.
- Discussions and models of chronology to show the order of events and the impact these had on subsequent historical periods.
Impact
The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children in our school are equipped with historical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world. We want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about history, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.
- Children will develop independence and deepen critical thinking skills showing that they are able to evaluate, analyse, reason and make connections.
- Children will use subject specific vocabulary in their written work and discussions.
- Children will lead their own learning and develop individual interests and pursue knowledge that follow this.
- Children will show an understanding of how historical accounts have been developed and apply a critical approach in lessons.
- Children will take pride in the work that they produce and show enthusiasm to share their work with others.
- Children will be committed to work to the best of their ability and be willing to share and explain their work. Parental engagement will start to improve.
- Children will aspire to be historians beyond the classroom and demonstrate the use of skills gained from history lessons in other curriculum areas and life outside of the classroom.
