History
At Slip End Village School, we value History. We are Historians!
Our History curriculum inspires and challenges children’s curiosity to know more about the past of Britain and the wider world, regardless of their own cultural backgrounds.
At Slip End we aim to develop the minds of every child by ensuring they know more, remember more and understand more about the affect the past has had on their lives today. We offer a broad, balanced and progressive curriculum for all pupils, teaching them a sense of chronology whilst making connections between different periods of time. Our curriculum will equip pupils to think critically, ask and answer perceptive questions and weigh up evidence enabling them to record their own structured accounts of the past.
By using key historical vocabulary, our pupils will discuss and explain how diverse societies were, the challenges they faced and how lives have changed because of this.
At our schools, we want our children to gain a coherent understanding of Britain’s multicultural past and that of the wider world regardless of their own cultural background. Our curriculum should inspire children’s curiosity to know more about the past. We teach children a sense of chronology in order to develop a sense of identity and cultural understanding based on their historical heritage enabling children to learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain. Children should ask perceptive questions and think critically using sources of evidence to support their opinion. They should understand how people’s lives have changed, how diverse societies were, and the challenges that were faced.
At our schools, the history curriculum follows the Chris Quigley framework. Children’s learning focuses on four threshold concepts, which are used as the basis for a schema and which are the ‘big ideas’ that underpin the subject.
The four threshold concepts in history are:
• Investigate and interpret the past – This concept involves recognising that our understanding of the past comes from an interpretation of the available evidence.
• Build an overview of world history – This concept involves an appreciation of the characteristic features of the past and that these features are similar and different across time periods, and an understanding that life is different for different sections of society.
• Understand chronology – This concept involves an understanding of how to chart the passing of time and how some aspects of history happened at similar times in different places.
• Communicate historically – This concept involves using historical vocabulary and techniques to convey information about the past.
Each threshold concept has its own facet of knowledge which helps strengthen the schema. The knowledge categories are as follows
• Settlements
• Beliefs
• Culture and pastimes
• Location
• Main events
• Food and farming
• Travel and exploration
• Conflict
• Society
• Artefacts
In Early Years, History is delivered within the Understanding the World area of the curriculum. Pupils are exposed to a variety of activities to allow them to understand the past and present means to them including looking at their own family history and where they fit in it. This allows them to start making links to the wider world and events (big or small) that have shaped it.
In Key Stage 1, History is taught alternate half terms with weekly lessons. Children build upon their knowledge and understanding of the past by learning about significant people and events from various times in history. These are taught through the above categories which allow them to develop a sense of chronology and begin to make connections between people and events, whilst comparing them to their own experiences.
In Key Stage 2, History is taught alternate half terms with weekly lessons. Children deepen their knowledge and understanding by expanding the breadth of people and events through the above categories. They are able to make connections by reflecting upon prior learning and exploring how History has impacted the past and the present world.
Assessment is ongoing through classroom observations, tasks and retrieval practice against the threshold concepts. Assessment is recorded on the Depth of Learning system and pupils are measured as having either ‘basic’, ‘advancing’ or ‘deep’ levels of understanding at their appropriate milestone.
As a result of our history curriculum, children will have an understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
The children can talk about the different knowledge categories throughout different times in history.
The children will be able to make connections, build an overview of world history and use historical vocabulary to convey information the past.
• Retrieval practice – This could include spot quizzes outside of dedicated lessons
• VIPERS – Reading comprehension and directed questioning
