Intent
At Christ Church, we believe that in order to work towards a better future we must first understand our past. Our History Curriculum aims to foster a deep understanding and appreciation of the past, enabling pupils to make connections between historical events, people, and societies. We are committed to providing an inclusive, ambitious, and diverse curriculum that reflects the experiences of all individuals, celebrates cultural heritage, and promotes empathy and understanding. By exploring a broad range of historical periods, events, and cultures, we aim to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning about the past.
In the EYFS, we teach history through Understanding the World using play-based learning activities that create curiosity about the past. Children explore concepts of time, change, and continuity, learn about significant individuals and events from the past, and develop early historical skills such as sequencing events and asking questions. Our approach builds foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes that prepare children for continued exploration and understanding of History in Key Stage 1 and beyond.
Implementation
At Christ Church, we take great pride in our history curriculum, which has been meticulously designed to provide pupils with a comprehensive understanding of diverse historical topics from across the globe and throughout different periods. We believe that learning about history should not only be informative but also engaging and inspiring. We use the CUSP History Scheme to deliver a broad, creative and inclusive curriculum for all children which is based on the knowledge and skills as defined in the History National Curriculum.
Through our spiral curriculum, we are committed to ensuring that key concepts are not only learned but also embedded in pupils’ long-term memory. We also use ambitious Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary to improve language skills and encourage confidence in grasping historical concepts. By doing so, we aim to help pupils develop a deeper understanding of historical events and their significance.
In addition, we believe that cross-curricular learning is essential for a well-rounded education. Drawing connections between history and other subjects, such as Religious Education, Geography, PSHE and Art, helps pupils to see the relevance of History in their daily lives. Through our curriculum, we foster a love of learning and encourage students to think critically about the world around them.
Through revisiting these concepts in different historical contexts and with growing complexity, our goal is to firmly establish pupils’ knowledge and comprehension of historical concepts. The structure of our lessons, divided into six parts, empowers children to enhance their understanding and skills with increasing independence, fostering a mindset of continuous growth encapsulated by our school vision, ‘Know more, remember more, do more.’
Whole school themes, events and activities also enrich our History curriculum to give pupils a fun and immersive experience with the historical periods they are studying. These will include Remembrance, Black History Month, Chinese New Year, St George’s Day, Holocaust Remembrance and VE Celebrations.
Our curriculum incorporates regular formative assessments, including observations and quizzes, to assess pupils’ grasp and retention of key historical ideas. These assessments enable us to provide timely support, scaffolding, and intervention where necessary, while also identifying areas for further development and growth.
Impact
Christ Church has high expectations for its pupils, and our History Curriculum is designed to show progression. As pupils move through the school, they develop skills that will stay with them for life and gain a deep understanding of critical thinking which allows them to appreciate History and learn from it. This prepares them to be responsible global citizens, with a sense of duty towards the wider world and its diverse environments and people.
At Christ Church, our pupils will have:
- Become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in.
- Gained from meaningful, memorable opportunities that last a life time.
- Encountered or participated in high-quality visits/visitors to further appreciate the impact of history.
- A richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
Celebrating Languages
Last year we learnt about significant individuals in history and produced amazing ‘My Heritage’ projects. We will continue our theme of learning more about our heritage. Our whole school focus, this year, during October, for Black History Month is ‘Celebrating LANGUAGES’. We will celebrate what makes us special, our culture and heritage through learning about the Language we speak at school, at home, with families and friends. We believe that it is important to recognise and celebrate our differences and the experiences which bring us together as a school community. Join us, as we dive into a sea of spoken and written languages flowing through our school community!