Subject Leader – Mrs Kitson
Our pupils’ backgrounds, our culture and our climate for learning provide the following drivers that underpin our curriculum and our vision and weave through all that we do.
- Catholic values – which helps pupils grow spiritually and give them values for life outside of school
- Historic Environment – which helps pupils to understand and appreciate their locality which facilitates their relationship to the wider world
- Resilience – which helps pupils grow as learners
- Independence – which helps pupils to grow as independent learners, not dependent on adults to learn
- Subject knowledge and skills – which help pupils develop their knowledge and skills and give them knowledge for life
- Tolerance – respecting and valuing the beliefs, values, choices and opinions of others
History
Intent
The intent of our History curriculum is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more. As a result of this they will:
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- Increase and develop their historical skills, concepts, knowledge and attitudes.
- Increase their understanding of the present in the context of the past.
- Develop and use their skills in enquiry, analysis, evaluation, and argument.
- Develop their interest in the past, arousing their curiosity and motivation to learn.
- Develop a sense of identity through learning about the past.
- Develop their sense of identity through learning about Esh and Durham throughout history.
Our History curriculum includes termly topics for all children from Year 1 to Year 6. We aim to offer a high-quality history education that will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It inspires pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching equips pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups. It also helps children gain a sense of their own identity within a social, political, cultural and economic background. Because of this, we feel it is important for the subject to be taught discretely as well as incorporated within other curriculum subjects such as English and Art.
Implementation
History is taught in blocks throughout the year, with the same overarching theme (changes within living memory, events beyond living memory, significant individuals and significant individuals and events in own locality) being taught in Year 1 and 2 and the same topic being taught repeatedly across Years 3-6, so that children achieve depth in their learning and build on this learning as they move through the school. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school. By the end of year 6, children will have an in –depth, chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They are able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece and the Benin Empire.
At St. Michael’s our EYFS curriculum is based on the goals outlined in the Early Years Statutory Framework and has been created with the support of the Development Matters and Birth to 5 documents. Alongside our curriculum documents we use our knowledge of the individual child to provide a range of learning opportunities through interactions, provision and enhancements to the environment.
Knowledge Mats
We use knowledge mats to develop our children’s knowledge and vocabulary. These contain sticky knowledge that we want the children to be able to remember at the end of this topic. Have a look to see what your child is learning in this subject.
Class F
Class 1
Grace Darling
Toys
Neil Armstrong
Class 2
The Gunpowder Plot
Explorers
Transport
Class 3
Class 4
Romans
Anglo Saxons
Benin
Class 5
Ancient Egypt
Crime and Punishment
Class 6
Vikings
History – Industrial revolution
Impact
Our primary goal at St Michael’s is that children will learn more, retain more and understand more. The sequencing of lessons, block teaching, excellent subject knowledge and quality first teaching will ensure this happens at every stage of learning. ‘Sticky knowledge’ will become embedded in the learner’s long-term memory and regular retrieval will make this information more easily accessible. Children will become more confident in discussing their learning and eager to share both previous and new learning with staff, peers and parents. The impact of the history curriculum will be evident in lessons, in books, in talking to the children and in the enthusiasm they show for the subject. Pupils will develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. Children will also confidently use a wide range of historical vocabulary and terms and discuss in detail the passing of time.
St Michael’s Whole School History Overview
| Changes Within Living Memory | Events Beyond Living Memory | Significant Person | Significant local Event/Person | |
| Year 1 | Toys | The Great Fire of London | Neil Armstrong | Grace Darling |
| Year 2 | Travel and Transport | The Gunpowder Plot | Matthew Henson and Felicity Aston | Captain James Cook |
| The Stone Age to Iron Age | Ancient Egypt | Ancient Greece | The Romans | The Anglo Saxons | The Vikings | Benin | Victorians | World War 2 | Crime and Punishment | |
| Year 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
| Year 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
| Year 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
| Year 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
To find out more about history at St Michael’s have a look at our History Policy 2021 and our History Progression Document and History Sequence of learning.
We have mapped out our golden threads in history to see where the children revisit elements of history to deepen their learning in their time at St Michael’s School. History Golden Thread.
