History

At Cranmore, want to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the past and the people who lived before us that will remain with our pupils for the rest of their lives. Our history curriculum is carefully planned to introduce pupils to significant people, events and periods from the past. These have been selected to help pupils develop an understanding of how the past has shaped their lives and the world around them.

What We Teach

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin to develop an awareness of the past through stories, discussions about their own lives and the lives of people around them. As pupils move through Key Stage 1, they build on this knowledge by learning about significant individuals, important events and changes within living memory and beyond. This enables pupils to begin to understand chronology and the concept of the past.

In Key Stage 1, we want our pupils to develop a secure understanding of chronological order and an awareness of how people’s lives, societies and events have changed over time. Through studying history, pupils develop knowledge of historically significant individuals, events and places locally, nationally and globally. They also begin to understand how historians find out about the past and how evidence can be interpreted in different ways.

Our aim is for our pupils to become historians who are able to develop key disciplinary skills, including:

Asking and answering questions about the past.
Understanding chronology and sequencing events and periods of time.
Interpreting a range of historical sources and evidence, including artefacts, photographs, stories and documents.
Comparing similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
Communicating their understanding of the past through speaking, writing, drawing and role play.

How We Teach

EYFS: Informal, play-based learning about the past through experiences

Key Stage 1: Through high-quality teaching, we develop the following essential characteristics of historians:

A secure knowledge and understanding of significant people, events and periods in British and world history
An understanding of chronology and how different periods of time connect and influence one another
• A developing historical vocabulary to describe the passing of time and historical change
• The ability to ask questions, think critically about evidence and begin to form simple interpretations about the past
• A genuine interest in the subject and curiosity about how people lived in the past
• Knowledge and understanding of the past which reflects the backgrounds, cultures and experiences of themselves, their families and their communities

Our intentions and aims for history are in line with those of the Primary National Curriculum and support pupils in developing a secure foundation of historical knowledge and skills as they progress through the school.

How We Assess

Ongoing teacher assessment
Teachers observe pupils during lessons, looking at their ability to:
- Understand basic chronology (past vs present)
- Recall key facts about events and people
- Ask and answer simple historical questions
Work and activities
Evidence comes from:
- o Written work (simple sentences, drawings with labels)
- o Discussions and verbal answers
- o Practical tasks (e.g. ordering events, role-play)
Use of key skills
Teachers assess whether pupils can:
- Sequence events in time
- Recognise similarities and differences