"A people without The knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." - Marcus Mosiah Garvey
Intent
To support our delivery of the History curriculum, we follow the Kapow Primary History curriculum.
Our curriculum aims to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers who develop a complex knowledge of local and national history and the history of the wider world. We want pupils to develop the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and be able to explain and analyse historical evidence. It is our intention that the history curriculum at St. Finian’s equips children with an appreciation of the past and engages them in a way that helps them understand the nature of societies, cultures and communities in our world today. We know that learing from the past enables us become empathetic members of society where lessons of the past can be learnt for the common good of future generations.
St. Finian’s School itself has its own historical story and as such is steeped in a rich history, originally being part of St Gabriel’s convent; the convent building run by the FMM (Franscican Missionary of Mary) still remains adjacent to the school grounds and dates back to the early 1900s.
Implementation
Our History curriculum meets the aims of the National Curriculum through the following key strands:
Our curriculum is implemented in the following ways
- Children are introduced to the following key substantive topics: power, invasion, settlement and migration, empire, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of humankind, society and culture. These strands are interwoven through all our History units to create engaging and enriching learning experiences which allow the children to investigate history as historians do.
- Equipping children with an understanding of chronology is crucial for enabling pupils to place their learning within the bigger picture and better remember historical people, periods and events. Each six-lesson unit has a focus on chronology to allow pupils to explore the place in time of the period they are studying and make comparisons in other parts of the world.
- Children develop the following disciplinary knowledge: Chronology, Cause and Consequence, Similarity and Difference, Historical Terms, Historical Enquiry, Historical Significance, Continuity and Change and Historical Interpretation. They have varied opportunities to learn how historians use these skills to analyse the past and make judgements. They will confidently develop and use their own historical skill set.
- As children progress through the Kapow scheme, they create their own historical enquiries to study using sources and the skills they have developed.
- Lessons are designed to be varied, engaging and hands-on, allowing children to experience the different aspects of an historical enquiry
- Children use their oracy skills to listen to and contemplate different views and perspectives about events in the past and analyse events with a critical eye, beginning to discern between fact, opinion and bias.
- A diverse range of significant individuals from the past are explored, assessing their impact both at the time and their lasting legacies.
- Story telling and drama is used as a stimulus into learning, bringing history to life.
- Children have access to a wide range of resources to aid their learning, including a 6 metre history timeline located in the centre of the school; up to date fictional and non-fiction texts; television historical documentary programmes and historical artefacts. Additionally, we invite guests into school to hear their experiences from the past e.g. war veterans linked to specific history topics (WWII).
- We have a close alliance with Ufton Court Education Centre near Reading; we visit the centre regularly to bring learning to life through drama and role-play.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Impact
By the end of their time at St Finian's, pupils should be equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education. They will be enquiring learners who ask questions and can make suggestions about where to find the evidence to answer the question. They will be critical and analytical thinkers who are able to make informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past.
Children will:
● Know and understand the history of Britain, how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
● Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, non-European societies and the achievements of mankind.
● Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts - power, invasion, settlement and migration, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of mankind and society.
● Form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.
● Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.
● Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.
● Ask historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts.
● Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.
● Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.
● Meet the relevant end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for History at the end of Key stage 1 and 2.
Assessment
- Children's progress is constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities.
- Each unit has a skill catcher and knowledge assessment quiz which is used at the end of the unit to provide a summative assessment.