History
Intent
At Wistaston Academy, we aim to nurture a love of history and inspire children’s awe and wonder in the world in which we live. Over their time at our school, children will develop their historical knowledge and will leave WA with a broad, balanced and coherent understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. The history curriculum has been designed to be ambitious and meet the needs of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. History lessons are designed to develop the long-term memory of our children, fit within the wider curriculum and build upon skills taught in other subjects. History lessons utilise the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to improve the children’s capital culture and understanding of the world.
We have designed the history curriculum at WA with the intent that our pupils will:
- Become increasingly analytical thinkers
- Possess a secure understanding of the chronology of the British Isles and events of the wider world.
- Discover links and connections between the history that they learn and that of the wider community and locality
- Differentiate between source types and explain how interpretations of these might differ
- Draw on similarities and differences within given time frames and across previously taught History
- Enquire in to historical themed questions and form their own opinions and interpretation of the past
- Develop their understanding of change and continuity with regards to the history of the British Isles and other societies
Implementation
The curriculum is led and overseen by the History lead, who works alongside class teachers, to plan, monitor and continually evaluate the History taught at WA in order to ensure it is effective, exciting and continually improving.
The curriculum at WA is implemented through:
- Units which comprise of well planned, exciting and coherent sequences of lessons tailored specifically for our children
- The consistent use of timelines to ensure new units are taught with reference to previous learning so that the children gain a secure understanding of chronology
- A wide variety of enrichment opportunities
- Lessons and experiences which are specifically tailored to be relevant to our local community
- A number of thematic units which allow the children to look at how particular aspects of life have changed
- Lessons which draw upon and reinforce skills learnt in other subjects
- Lessons which promote a love of reading through the use of high-quality texts and exciting reading opportunities
- Texts that are appropriately chosen to ensure the knowledge being taught relates to the core purpose of the lesson, building on pupils’ prior knowledge and vocabulary from previous reading.
- Regular feedback from teachers which not only addresses misconceptions but also deepens, challenges and supports learning
- The use of end of unit assessments to track progress
- Lessons and enrichment opportunities which offer lots of chances to handle and discuss a wide range of sources
- A strong focus on Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary which is taught within the unit, displayed in the classroom and consolidated wherever relevant
The curriculum is implemented differently across the Key Stages to reflect the needs of the children:
- EYFS- History is embedded into EYFS within whole class inputs and the provision. Learning is completed through capturing the children’s interests, relating it to personal experiences and allowing exploration.
- In KS1 we offer a holistic curriculum provided by topic-based learning which is designed to stimulate children’s interests and help them internalise their learning.
- History in KS2 is taught discretely and is set out in chronological order to ensure the children build up a clear picture of the history that they study.
Impact
- Children will be enthusiastic about and enjoy history lessons
- Children will develop a sound and coherent understanding of the history of the British Isles and that of the wider world.
- Children will become increasingly critical and analytical within their thinking, making informed and balanced judgements based upon their knowledge of the past.
- Children will become increasingly aware of how historical events have shaped the world in which they currently live
- Children will have a further understanding of history on a local level
- Children will develop enquiry skills to pursue their own interests and further questions within a topic
- Over their time at Wistaston Academy, children will have encountered and participated in a wide range of visits, visitors and other experiences
- Children will make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning which will embed history knowledge in their long-term memory
- Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes in history
- Children will leave WA with the skills, knowledge and attitude that will allow them embrace the next stage in their education
- Within history, reading is promoted widely & often leading to fluency, comprehension and enjoyment.
