Subject Leader: Mr G Miller

History helps children to understand the world in which they live by exploring the people, events and civilisations that have shaped the past. Through learning about significant individuals, societies and historical events, children develop a sense of chronology and an understanding of how life has changed over time. History encourages children to ask questions, investigate evidence, consider different perspectives and develop their own interpretations of the past. By exploring local, British and world history, children gain a greater understanding of the diverse world around them and how the past continues to influence the present.

Intent

At Fairburn View, we are committed to providing a high-quality history curriculum that inspires curiosity and develops children's understanding of the past. We believe that history gives pupils valuable opportunities to explore how people lived, how societies developed and how significant events have shaped the world we live in today. Our history curriculum is ambitious, engaging and carefully sequenced to develop pupils' historical knowledge, skills and understanding as they progress through the school.

We aim to develop children who are curious about the past, confident in asking questions and able to think critically about historical evidence. Through studying a range of historical periods, significant individuals and civilisations, pupils develop an understanding of chronology, change and continuity, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, and historical significance.

At Fairburn View, we want our children to develop a secure understanding of British history alongside an appreciation of the wider world. We recognise the importance of learning about diverse people, cultures and experiences, enabling pupils to understand how the past has shaped modern Britain and their own lives. Where appropriate, we make meaningful links between history and other subjects across our well-sequenced curriculum, helping children to build connections in their learning and develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.

We want all our pupils:

• To develop a secure knowledge and understanding of significant people, events and historical periods.
• To develop a strong sense of chronology and understand how the past has influenced the present.
• To ask and answer historical questions, using evidence to investigate and interpret the past.
• To understand key historical concepts, including change and continuity, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, and significance.
• To explore local, British and world history, recognising the diversity of people and societies throughout time.
• To develop their ability to think critically, consider different interpretations and explain their historical understanding using appropriate vocabulary.
• To develop a lifelong curiosity about the past and an appreciation of how history helps us understand the world today.

National Curriculum for History

The National Curriculum for History aims to ensure that all pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain's past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils' curiosity to know more about the past and equip them to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence and develop perspective and judgement.

Key Stage 1 – Pupils should be taught:

• To develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
• To know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework.
• To identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
• To use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
• To ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
• To understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
• To learn about changes within living memory, events beyond living memory, significant individuals and significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.

Key Stage 2 – Pupils should be taught:

• To continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history.
• To establish clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
• To note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
• To regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
• To understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
• To construct informed responses by selecting and organising relevant historical information.
• To understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, non-European societies and the expansion and dissolution of empires.
• To study aspects of British history from the earliest times to the present day, including significant events, people and developments in the past.

History National Curriculum

Implementation

At Fairburn View, we follow Kapow Primary to deliver a rich, engaging and carefully sequenced history curriculum. The scheme provides pupils with opportunities to develop their historical knowledge alongside the skills needed to investigate, interpret and communicate their understanding of the past.

Through a range of engaging lessons, pupils explore significant historical periods, people, events and civilisations. Learning is organised to help children build on their previous knowledge and make meaningful connections between different periods of history. Pupils revisit key historical concepts throughout their time at school, allowing their understanding to deepen as they encounter increasingly complex ideas.

Kapow Primary's history curriculum develops pupils' understanding of the following key historical concepts:

• Chronology: understanding when events happened and how historical periods fit together.
• Change and continuity: exploring what has changed and what has stayed the same over time.
• Cause and consequence: investigating why events happened and the effects they had.
• Similarity and difference: comparing people, places and societies across different periods.
• Historical significance: understanding why particular people, events and developments are important.
• Historical evidence and interpretation: examining sources and considering how we know about the past and why accounts of history may differ.

Children are encouraged to become historians by asking questions, examining historical sources, comparing evidence and developing their own informed conclusions. A range of resources, including photographs, artefacts, written accounts, maps and other historical sources, helps pupils to bring the past to life and develop their investigative skills.

Our curriculum follows a carefully sequenced approach in which prior learning is revisited and built upon. As pupils progress through the school, they develop a stronger chronological framework, a broader knowledge of historical periods and an increasing ability to use evidence and historical vocabulary to explain their thinking.

Where appropriate, we enrich learning through local history, cross-curricular links and practical activities that help children connect their classroom learning to the wider world. We aim to make history accessible and meaningful for all pupils, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to participate, develop confidence and achieve success.

Impact

The impact of our history curriculum is monitored through ongoing assessment, observation and discussion. Teachers assess pupils' understanding throughout lessons by listening to their responses, evaluating their use of historical vocabulary and identifying how well they can apply their knowledge and skills. 

This approach helps teachers identify gaps in knowledge, address misconceptions and adapt future teaching to ensure that pupils continue to make progress. Children are encouraged to make connections between their learning, recall important facts and use evidence to support their historical explanations.

By the time pupils leave Fairburn View, we want them to have developed a secure understanding of key historical periods, an appreciation of how the past has shaped the present and the confidence to investigate historical questions independently. We want our pupils to recognise that history is not simply a collection of dates and events, but an ongoing process of enquiry that helps us understand people, societies and the world around us.

The expected impact of following Kapow Primary History scheme of work is that children will:

• Know and understand the history of Britain, from the earliest times to the present day, and how British history has been influenced by the wider world.
• Develop a secure chronological understanding of the historical periods, events and people they have studied.
• Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations and societies.
• Understand key historical concepts, including change and continuity, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, and historical significance.
• Ask perceptive questions, think critically and use historical evidence to support their ideas and interpretations.
• Use appropriate historical vocabulary to communicate their knowledge and understanding.
• Understand that our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources and that interpretations of history can differ.
• Meet the end-of-key-stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for History.