History

History is an interpretation of the past. It helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Our aim is for all pupils to see themselves as historians and have a real passion for the subject and an enthusiastic engagement in its teaching and learning. We do this through an active curriculum that incorporates the outdoors where possible; providing our pupils with ‘memorable’ experiences and visits to bring History alive; as well as regular opportunities to work together collaboratively. We aim to develop their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways, and drive this at the start of each history topic using an enquiry question. We want our pupils to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.

Pupils are given the opportunity to visit sites of historical significance. We encourage visitors to come into the school and talk about their experiences of events in the past. We recognise and value the importance of stories in history teaching and we regard this as an important way of stimulating interest in the past. We focus on helping children understand that historical events can be interpreted in different ways and that they are encouraged to ask searching questions..

When teaching history, we contribute to the pupil’s spiritual development where possible. Pupils learn about and find out how British society has changed over time. The history programme of study enables children to understand that Britain’s rich cultural heritage can be further enriched by the multi-cultural British society of today. Throughout the school, we will actively promote the fundamental British values: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.