HISTORY
Intent
Learning about history allows children to make sense of the present day. We know that children understand best when they can build on their prior knowledge, make links with their own experiences and see themselves reflected back. Our history curriculum reflects the make-up of our community so that children feel a sense of pride in their history as well as sometimes posing difficult questions. We want children to be inquisitive historians, able to use a range of resources to learn about the past. Crawford children develop the ability to ask questions and develop their own understanding of the past. They also learn that the way events have been presented over time has changed and some of the reasons for this.
We want children to have a good chronological understanding and to be able to make links between time periods as well as with the present day. Key historical vocabulary is mapped out for each topic and taught to children to support their understanding.
Whilst we use a topic-based approach, within this historical skills and knowledge are taught discreetly.
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Topics are chosen to reflect the makeup of our school community to ensure that children can bring their own knowledge, to encourage high levels of engagement and so that children understand that all our histories are valued and linked together Threads of learning run throughout the curriculum. For example, a thread of Health and Medicine was chosen due to our close proximity to Kings College Hospital and many of our families work within the health profession.
Topics included in this thread include:
EYFS - People who help us
Year 2 - Leader Healer
Year 4 - Plague and Pestilence
Year 6 - Under the Microscope
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We are constantly evolving and reviewing our Topics responding to changes in demographic and needs of our cohort.
Implementation
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History is taught in a cross-curricular way at Crawford to enable children to make links and connections with their learning from nursery to year six. Children are taught a topic each half-term which is either predominantly driven by History or Geography. However, we know that children need to understand a sense of place to make sense of the past and vice-versa so alongside our History lessons will be complementary Geography lessons to allow children to make links and to enrich their understanding of a topic. For example, children need to have a good understanding of the make-up of Europe and how borders and countries have changed over time when they are learning about World War 1.
The History curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and is carefully sequenced so that knowledge and skills build on what was taught before working towards designed end points. We focus on three key historical areas, which children build on and develop through the different topics they study. These areas are:
Chronology
Historical enquiry
Historical knowledge
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​Chronology is all about ordering events and periods of history. In Early Years and Key Stage One, children build an understanding of their place in history by creating family trees and personal timelines, before looking at the chronology of key events and the lives of important people. In Key Stage Two, children develop an understanding of different historical periods and the order in which they happened. By the end of Year 6, children are familiar with the chronology of British History and how this relates to events in the wider world. Each class in Crawford School displays a Historical Timeline connecting Topics learnt previously, supporting their chronological knowledge, linking events they have learnt about commencing from Year 1.
​Historical enquiry focuses on using a variety of sources to help ask and answer questions about the past. From Key Stage One, children start using artefacts, historical sites, photographs, images and some written sources to find out about people and events in history. In Key Stage Two, children use these sources to justify their ideas about the past, and by the end of Year 6 they can engage with a range of viewpoints and consider which sources of information are most reliable.
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Historical knowledge focuses on learning and retaining key facts and using this information to analyse the past, justify our opinions and explain similarities and differences. In Key Stage One, children compare the lives of historical figures and learn about why certain events are important. In Key Stage Two, children build up a bank of knowledge about different periods in British and world history. They use this knowledge to think about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance – both within each period, and making comparisons with topics they have covered previously. In EYFS Children’s History learning journey starts by making sense of their own life-story and family history. In Reception they build on this and begin to comment on images of familiar situations in the past, comparing and contrasting characters from stories, including figures from the past. In year 1, Children start with the familiar by learning about their own past. Children develop their historical knowledge of London when learning about the Great Fire of London in Year 2 as well as finding out about notable local historical people, such as Dr Harold Moody.
In Key Stage 2, children learn about The Shang Dynasty and Ancient Greece and how concepts and discoveries developed during these periods have influenced our lives today. Children develop their knowledge of British history by learning about the Stone and Iron Age; Romans in Britain, Anglo Saxons and Vikings. Children learn about the contributions of different civilisations and empires and how countries are linked through their past by studying a range of time periods including the Golden Age of Islam, the Inca Civilisation the Kingdom of Benin, and Tudor explorers.
Children’s knowledge of their local area and London builds throughout their time at Crawford Primary School. In key stage 1 they learn about the Great Fire of London and visit St Pauls and the monument. In Key stage 2 they go further back in time understanding how London was founded by the Romans, before then learning about the Great Plague and linking this to their knowledge of the Great Fire of London. In Year 6 children learn about the effects of the Blitz and how the local area changed post-war and the reasons for this.
Year 1
Me myself and I
Schools past and present
Who wears the crown
Year 2&3
The Stone Age to the Iron Age
Roamin' Romans
The Shang Dynasty
Year 4
Invaders and Settlers
Tudor Explorers
Plague and Pestilence
Year 5
Golden Age of Islam
Empire
World War 1
Year 6
Under the Microscope
World War 2
Ancient Greece
Kingdom of Benin
Impact
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From as early as Year 1, children are given opportunities to develop their understanding of the world, comparing the past and present through discussing events in their own lives and in the lives of their family members. The key skills in comparing are developed and progressed throughout the school, building on the skills necessary for secondary school. For example, in Year 4, children study historical events such as Tudor Explorers and their impact and importance in understanding today’s world. Topics are mapped out carefully to ensure that the children develop their knowledge and understanding progressively as they move through school.
At Crawford, a range of historical time periods are studied, including Stone Age, Iron Age, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Ancient Greeks, World War II and The Benin Kingdom. These topics give children the regular opportunity to make connections between civilisations and have an understanding that civilisations occurred at varying intervals and often overlapped with others. Formative and summative assessment ensure all children make strong progress across the school, are challenged appropriately and leave Crawford School with the skills needed for secondary school, as well as a broad and balanced understanding of time periods throughout history from all around the world. They will have the skills required to analyse historical evidence, understand bias and draw conclusions from the evidence as budding historians.
