History

Our Vision

In our History curriculum we are passionate about stimulating the children’s interest and understanding about the life of people who lived in the past. We aim for the children to develop a sense of chronology, identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. We teach children to understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today; we also teach the children to investigate these past events and, by so doing, develop the skills of sequencing, enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem solving.

Our Aims

To promote an interest in the past
To develop an understanding of events over time and in a chronological structure
To learn about the roles that individuals and events have played in shaping modern society
To develop an ability to investigate and interpret different versions of past events
To learn to study historical sources as evidence and to ask and answer questions about the past
To develop the ability to communicate historical knowledge and understanding using a variety of techniques
To encourage children to understand other people, their beliefs, thoughts, values and experiences
To develop an awareness of the world around them
To develop an understanding of society and their place within it, so that they acquire a sense of their cultural heritage
To develop an understanding of how our local area has changed over time whilst considering similarities and differences
To develop a knowledge and understanding of historical development in the wider world

Our Curriculum

Early Years

In the EYFS, storytelling and sequencing activities begin to build pupils’ understanding of narrative and pupils are encouraged to ask and answer questions about the world around them. Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. This lays a secure foundation for the development of historical skills in later key stages.

Key Stage One

In KS1, pupils study the more recent past, looking at the themes of Toys and how their local area, Egremont and Whitehaven, have changed over time. Significant people, events and places from the more distant past are also studied, including the Great Fire of London, Florence Nightingale and Remembrance Day. Pupils start to ask and answer questions about the past by looking at written sources, pictures and objects and explore similarities and differences between the present and the past. We will develop their skills of historical enquiry by helping them to understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented. We will teach them about our rich local history such as our mining heritage and John Paul Jones and his links to Whitehaven.

Key Stage Two

During Key Stage Two, we will teach our pupils to develop a chronologically secure knowledge based understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. We will enable them to develop the skills to make connections, contrasts and trends over time and to develop the appropriate use of historical terms using knowledge organisers and learning strips to enhance their understanding. We will encourage the children to ask questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. Our children will be taught to recognise that the past is represented by a wide variety of sources and we aim to help them to understand the reliability of these sources and the significance of them in our own lives today. From the building of Stonehenge in Prehistoric Britain, through the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Vikings and the Mayan Civilisation, pupils are taken on a journey of historical enquiry and investigation. In Year 6, pupils sharpen their chronological knowledge and historical skills of enquiry and interpretation by studying more recent historical events. Our children consider the significance of the arrival of the Empire Windrush as a turning point in British history.

Enrichment

Our teaching of history is enriched with visits to places of historical significance, both locally and further afield, including the local war memorial, Carlisle Castle and The Rum Story in KS1 and visits to the Beacon and Tullie House in KS2. Opportunities such as the “Wood Matters” immersive Anglo-Saxon/Viking experience workshops at Windermere allow pupils to interact with artefacts and experience history first hand. Trips out in our local area to the Roman Fort at Maryport and the Rum Story in Whitehaven are hugely popular and foster curiosity and a love of history.

Our Y3 children study the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic eras and created homes at school; our children produced some breath taking houses to extend their historical understanding further in a practical way.