"History, the study of the past, is all around us; we are continually making history through our thoughts, words and actions. History is personal and global; it is everyday life and momentous occasions. History is about people.” (Historical Association)

Intent

At Adlington Primary School, we endeavour to grow historians who develop a love for learning about the past.  We aim to fire pupils’ curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world and aim to inspire children to want to find out about how and why the world, our country, culture and local community have developed over time.  Indeed, our pupils will understand how the past influences the present.  

By the time they leave Adlington, we want our pupils to have developed strong substantive knowledge so that they are knowledgeable about key people, events and time periods from the past and from their locality. 

Alongside the development of substantive knowledge, children will develop their disciplinary skills as they learn the fundamental elements of what it is to be a historian. Our intention is that pupils become skilful historians who develop a secure chronological understanding, acquire historical language/terminology and develop enquiry and interpretation skills.  Not only will this prepare them in the shorter term for Key Stage 3, but more importantly will support them on their journey as life-long learners.

Children will also study a range of cultures and historical perspectives enabling them to be respectful, tolerant and empathetic.

Implementation

We have designed, organised and carefully sequenced our History curriculum to ensure that pupils build on the knowledge and skills they have been taught. From Year 3, many units of work are taught in chronological order which enables pupils to understand the ‘bigger picture’ and to support them to develop a coherent understanding of the past. For example, in Year 3 pupils learn about the Stone Age followed by the Bronze Age and Iron Age, they then move on to learn about the Ancient Egyptians.

Our rolling programmes have been carefully curated to meet the needs of our mixed-age classes.  They ensure that our pupils have complete coverage of the National Curriculum (2014) but do not repeat topics.  The National Curriculum document is the basis for all of our curriculum planning, with staff in EYFS using the revised framework to drive their planning.

Each unit of work taught is underpinned by rich, substantive knowledge and ambitious vocabulary, whilst also ensuring children are developing their disciplinary knowledge (historical skills). In addition children will develop their experiential knowledge through museum visits, handling artifacts and engaging in carefully planned fieldwork. 

Impact

By the end of their primary education at Adlington, our children are able to articulate and demonstrate that they have developed the historical knowledge, language and skills to help them understand the history of the United Kingdom and the wider world. Our children demonstrate a good understanding of human attitudes and experiences, historical enquiry, and are able to make links between historical events and the world in which they now live.

We track pupil progress through ongoing assessment for learning, with summative assessments completed at the end of each unit.  The impact of our curriculum is also measured through regular book scrutiny, learning walks and pupil conferencing.