History

What will my child have learnt in History by the time they leave school in Y6?

Bowland Federation of Schools History Knowledge Narrative

The intent of our History curriculum is for children to develop an enthusiasm, understanding and mental timeline of the past, deepening their understanding the ‘what?’, ‘when?’, ‘who?’ and ‘why?’ of history. We aim to immerse children into local, national and world-wide history through our woven curriculum which creates a learning journey that is revisited and strengthened as children move through school. At Scorton, we want to equip children with key historical knowledge and teach them the disciplinary skills to apply their knowledge in a variety of ways. We believe that children should be led by Historical enquiry, exploring chronology, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, evidence, change and continuity and significance.

What Are History Lessons Like at Our School?

History Lessons Bowland Federation of Schools

Thinking Like a Historian - How do our skills develop?

Historical Skills Development

In KS1, children develop their sense of time, place and change. They think about their living memory; they begin to think about how often things change within their community and locality. Chronological knowledge sets the foundation for all learning in KS1 as children study the lives of significant individuals, thinking about the context they have in their lives and why they have been influential in the past, present and future. As children develop their understanding of historical context, they also learn about events beyond their living memory, taking part in a study of the Great Fire of London and diving deeper into abstract thinking, fact finding and exploring the 'how do we know?' of history.

Pupils begin to advance their historical knowledge as they enter KS2. Our LKS2 class discover how Britain was built upon significant historical events such as the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages. Children develop their historical inquisition, thinking about how archaeologists and historians are able to explore our history through studies of artefacts. Children apply their chronology throughout LKS2, moving through the Roman Empire - reflecting upon its impact on our modern lives - to Anglo-Saxon Britain and the struggle to the throne that occurred during and after the Viking conquest. Whilst developing their knowledge of our national history, children also understand the significance of history in the wider world, exploring the achievements of ancient civilisations in Egypt or the Shang Dynasty.

When our historians reach UKS2, they are introduced to a curriculum that challenges them to apply their chronological, locational and prior knowledge. A study of Ancient Greek life and achievements prompts children to think about how significant culture, people and places have been to our modern lives. Children revisit, retrieve and expand on knowledge from prior years of history and connect topics within their living memory to studies of ancient civilisations like the Maya. Making them compare, contrast and question 'how much has really changed?'. UKS2 are encouraged to think about concepts that may feel abstract to them such as Crime and Punishment and the experiences of black Britons through History. They think about how slavery, Caribbean culture and injustice can enlighten us to be more diverse and aware of themes in history such as racism, discrimination and prejudice.