Whiteley Primary School

History

At Whiteley Primary School we encourage children to develop a passion for learning about the past, use enquiry skills to question evidence and gain a chronological understanding of different historical eras.

History learning is creative and engaging. The children are hooked into learning through excitement and curiosity.

Our aims for history, reflect the aims of the National Curriculum. The curriculum should:

  • Inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.
  • History helps pupils to know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world.

At Whiteley Primary School, local studies are used to teach children about their ‘own backyard’, which develops children’s understanding of history in the local area.

Through teaching a variety of historic events and significant historical figures, children learn about the world around them and how it has impacted their life.

Teachers create engaging and inspiring lessons that are memorable for the children whilst also equipping them with key knowledge and skills as they become lifelong learners.

In Year R, the foundations for history are covered through the ‘Understanding of the World’ are of learning. The learning starts with the children looking at themselves and their experiences. The children develop understanding about their families, looking at similarities and differences. They are introduced to relevant historical sources using objects and pictures. The children learn through a range of child initiated and teacher directed experiences.

From Y1 – Y6, history learning journeys are informed by the National Curriculum and have been selected based on locality, lives of significant individuals and events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.  Subject leaders have identified the key knowledge and skills for each unit of work to ensure progression through the school, and all teachers are aware of the prior learning and the next steps for learning journey.

All history learning journeys follow the same approach, with an overarching, enquiry-based question being given to the children at the start of the unit. This question is supported by three or more ancillary questions, which help children arrive at an answer for their enquiry.

The history curriculum is split into four areas: chronology, historical concepts, interpretation, and historical enquiry. Whilst all history units of work cover these four areas, one or two have been chosen as a main focus for each learning journey, allowing children to cover them in greater detail.

At Whiteley Primary School, teachers use a range of artefacts, sources and information about a historical period. The sources allow children to understand what it would have been like during an era, and help to create a sense of awe and wonder. There is an emphasis on the teaching and modelling of asking questions, exploring artefacts and making a judgement about the reliability of the source.

Throughout a child’s history journey at Whiteley Primary School, they will experience school trips, history weeks and visitors. These events enrich a child’s history learning and ‘make the history come alive’. As well as helping to engage the children and provide high levels of enjoyment, these events are carefully planned to help make the key learning within a learning journey memorable for the children.

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