History
History vision
Derwentwater’s vision is aligned with the National Curriculum’s purpose of study for history; ensuring we provide a high-quality history education so pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our history content and delivery aim to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and what it is to be a historian. Pupils’ understanding of British and World History will expand as they learn how to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence and develop perspective and judgement. History will develop our pupils’ understanding of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies as well as their own identity and the challenges and impact of the past on their time.
Intent
The history curriculum is ambitious and coherently designed and sequenced. It builds on a progression of necessary knowledge, skills and concepts. The content provides pupils with a clear understanding of how people lived in the past and what they believed to be important. Within the units there are recurring themes such as settlement, migration, beliefs and power which builds a stronger web of knowledge to ensure it sticks. Pupils will develop an understanding of how we know about the past through a range of sources of evidence and with increasing confidence will consider their reliability. The history content will lead to a better understanding of culture and heritage and spark a desire to explore further.
Implementation
Knowledge, skills and concepts are taught holistically and are underpinned by the pupils developing a good grasp of subject vocabulary. Over the course of a unit pupils acquire the historical knowledge to move them towards answering the overarching question. Initial hooks are often used to engage the pupils within the unit. What it is to be a historian is developed by using a range of sources of evidence and the explicit teaching of disciplinary skills and concepts. Pupils will ask questions, suggest hypotheses and then go on to review and refine their original answers and ideas. Each unit utilises a range of rich and varied historical sources. These include written documents, images of artefacts and artist impressions. Pupils will develop a strong chronological framework of knowledge and will sequence events and periods studied. They will begin to develop a sense of history by identifying the key features within them. Cross-curricular links will be made where appropriate to deepen and reinforce understanding. Pupils will develop a better understanding over time of historical concepts such as significance, change, continuity, similarity, difference and cause and consequence as links are made across the history units.
A breadth of teaching approaches appropriate to the content and desired learning outcomes are used to engage all pupils and enable them to not just acquire knowledge but to apply it in meaningful contexts. Appropriate discussion is used as a means of checking pupils’ learning systematically, identifying misconceptions and providing immediate feedback as well as providing opportunities for exploratory talk and debate. Questions and tasks to stretch and challenge the most able pupils are incorporated where appropriate. Revisiting ideas and concepts in different, more challenging, contexts in later units, using varied assessments and the inclusion of quizzes are all designed to help pupils remember content and integrate new knowledge into their evolving conceptual framework. Quality resources and materials are provided to support the history curriculum and are sequenced towards the accumulation of skills, knowledge and understanding, working towards the next key stage.
Impact
History is evidenced through the pupils’ use and understanding of the knowledge, skills, concepts and specialist vocabulary. It is evidenced by the use and outcomes of the varied activities, questions and quizzes provided. The broad range of approaches for pupils to communicate their knowledge ensures that everyone can demonstrate progression and impact. In particular, it is evidenced by the pupils’ ability, willingness and confidence in addressing and discussing each unit’s key question, giving a response focusing on historical vocabulary, skills and concepts. Pupils understand and can clarify to others what history is and the importance and value of studying the subject. They can explain to others how they are progressing and what they can do to get better in the subject.