History

We aim to teach history in exciting, creative and varied ways. 

• We will help children learn key facts and skills, but above all help them to develop a curiosity and interest in history.
• It connects them with the past.
• Pupils are inspired to explore History and make judgements for themselves.
• The curriculum breadth is adapted to the context of our school to celebrate its unique locality and develop pupils understanding of fundamental British values.
• It engages in the spiritual, moral and social development of real people and real places.
• Lessons are sequenced in long- and medium-term plans to help pupils build cumulative knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history.
• Our curriculum provides rich and memorable experiences including hands on practical experiences and visits which promote a lifelong love of learning.
• Children are placed at the centre of its design.
• It provides experience of and connections to the world within and beyond the school in both time and place.
• It extends beyond the what and when, to the how, why and where and to think like a historian.
• Children will ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement - enabling them to learn facts and acquire skills whilst at the same time deepening their own ethical thinking.

Teachers are committed to providing exciting lessons.

We use the Key Stage History scheme of work to inform our history teaching and as a starting point. By using enquiry-led key questions we can focus on building the pupils substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Through a series of carefully planned sequence of lessons, children will acquire knowledge and subject specific vocabulary. Prior learning is built upon our golden threads of People, Power and Progress which is used to develop our planning and ensure consistency across KS1 and KS2.

Knowledge organisers are also provided at the start of a unit to identify key information the pupils need to have learned by the end of the topic and acts as a tool to support pupils in retaining and retrieving knowledge for life-long learning. Alongside regular History lessons in KS1 and KS2, additional historical opportunities are provided to create a unique culture of history throughout the whole school. Visits are an integral part of the school’s adventurous approach to learning. Visitors and History focus days give crucial experiences to develop a love of History through practical exploration

The impact of this high-quality teaching and learning at St Johns will be seen through:

• Pupils being able to share their knowledge, skills and enthusiasm through their pupil voice.
• Pupils highly engaging in their history learning and asking questions to find out more. 
• Pupils taking their learning home, researching work independently, talking with parents, visiting sites of interest and sharing their further enjoyment of the subject.
• The school environment reflecting the rich history curriculum through displays and floor books
• Impact can also be measured through key questioning skills built into lessons, child-led assessment such as success criteria grids, mind maps and summative assessments aimed at targeting next steps in learning.