History

Subject Lead: Sally Elwick

Intent

The History curriculum at Le Rondin School has been designed to be exciting and challenging for all learners, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds and places the child at the very centre of everything.

We have chosen to base our curriculum on the Bailiwick Curriculum and Chris Quigley curriculum. It is organised into a cyclical progression model that builds progressively towards pupils acquiring a key knowledge and skills.  It also provides learners with subject-specific vocabulary, ‘sticky knowledge’ and a variety of first-hand experiences which aids in sparking their interest, relate new learning to their own experience and to reflect upon and respond to the things that they see and hear and touch. 

The content and coverage of our curriculum is carefully organised by each year group through a long-term plan. Content knowledge, vocabulary and skills will then be planned for at a greater level of detail in the medium-term plan

In History, pupils will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and it’s events, with intention to improve every pupils’ cultural capital, understanding of the world around them and their own heritage. Our intention is to provide children with a broader understanding of the world around them and the different cultures and beliefs which exist both in our Bailiwick and across the UK and the rest world.

Implementation

Our History curriculum is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills will build upon what has been taught before.  All learning starts by revisiting prior knowledge and staff explicitly model the subject specific vocabulary, knowledge and skills relevant to the current learning to allow the pupils to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts. 

In order to develop understanding our children need to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge and then develop fluency and unconsciously apply their knowledge and skills. Lessons develop long term memory by allowing for repetition of learning within the year and year on year.

Presentation of subject matter is sequential, purposeful and clear. Understanding is systematically checked and informs future activity. Work is of good quality and is pitched at a level of appropriate challenge that allows pupils to achieve well.

Staff have a good awareness of each child’s needs and tailor their learning accordingly and focus on the engagement of pupils by emphasising processes and not over-concentrating on outcomes.

In History lessons we use concrete resources alongside visual representations, virtual and physical visits and visitors to excite and intrigue our children to find out more about events, people and places from the past and the current world around them

Continuous CPD for teachers ensures that their skills and knowledge is developed to teach History skills, knowledge and vocabulary confidently and accurately.

Impact

Through the high quality first teaching of History taking place we will see the impact of the subject in different ways.  A secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered.
Through pupil voice children will be able to talk about the skills and knowledge they have acquired. Children will be engaged in History lessons and want to find out more. 
Work will show that a range of entitlements is being covered and differentiated work is set appropriately within each year group.
The school environment will be history rich through displays, resources, vocabulary etc. 
As historians, children will learn lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their lives in the future. 
Assessments and monitoring will show standards in History will be high and will match standards in other subject areas.