Intent 

The aims for our history curriculum are for our children to:

• Develop a passion for history and curiosity about the past
• develop an understanding of how past events have influenced the present
• develop a sense of identity by learning how past events have impacted their local area and communities
• build on enquiry skills to enable them to interpret the past using a wide range of sources
• develop a sense of empathy through learning about the past and its impact on others
• develop a sense of chronology to organise their understanding of the past

At Asquith, we teach history skills and knowledge in a sequence that builds on prior learning. In Early Years, we start from where the children are in terms of their own personal history before exploring the history of Britain and the wider world as they move up through school. We teach history through topics that are chosen to fit the needs of our children, including links to local heritage where appropriate. This allows them to relate the history of their own locality with events from Britain and the wider world.

Our key historical concepts are:

• Industry & trade – linked to local mining & mills
• Migration & settlement – linked to increasing local ethnic diversity
• Empire & monarchy – linked to the development of modern Britain

We want children to leave Asquith as independent, resilient historians. They will have knowledge of key events and figures in national and global history and the enquiry skills to find out about the past and form their own opinions.

Implementation

At Asquith, we aim for the children to leave us as historians. Historians interpret the past by drawing from a wide range of sources and this is what we believe we must offer our children. Throughout their time at school the children learn about the past through stories, exploring artefacts, visits to historical sites, drama and having visitors in school. This allows the children to explore the use of primary and secondary sources, begin to understand why there are different interpretations of the past and begin to form their own opinions about the past.

In Early Years, we follow the Early Years Framework and topics are changed regularly to fit with the interests and needs of the children. In years 1-6, the children study a history topic every term. Our whole school progression map contains an overview of the topics that will be taught in each year group and the history skills, knowledge and vocabulary that will be covered within each topic.

Impact

Through our history curriculum, we work to develop children who are independent, resilient historians. Our children are given regular opportunities to review their prior learning each time they begin a new topic. This supports retention of the key knowledge and skills that the children have gained. Our children will have a broad knowledge and understanding of events and significant individuals from the past. They will build a sense of chronology and be curious about the past. Our children will leave us with the enquiry skills to be able to find out about the past and have an awareness of the reliability of the sources they use. We aim for our children to build a sense of identity by understanding how events from the past have impacted on their own community.