History

We believe that students gain a better understanding of both Britain and the World by studying important historical figures and events. They develop independent, creative, and critical thinking skills by looking for contrasts and connections, and analysing sources for their historical merit.

Key Purpose & National Curriculum Intent

Key Purpose of History

Build a mental timeline of the last 5000 years.
Develop a rich web of knowledge to understand the context of historical events.
Build historical vocabulary and abstract concepts (e.g., empire, parliament, peasantry).
Analyse primary and secondary sources for historical merit and potential bias.
Identify connections, contrasts, causes, and consequences across civilisations.
Feed into character development, empathy, and compassion through historical narratives.

National Curriculum Aims

Britain’s Past: Understand the nation’s history as a coherent chronological narrative from earliest times to present day.
Wider World: Explore ancient civilisations, the expansion/dissolution of empires, and past non-European societies.
Historical Enquiry: Ask perceptive questions, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and discern how interpretations are constructed.
Perspective & Scale: Connect local, regional, national, and international history across short- and long-term timescales.

Core Concept & Foundational Skills

Threshold Concept: Chronology

Golden Threads & Core Strands

Enquiry Skills: Identifying similarities/differences, tracking change over time, analysing primary/secondary sources, evaluating significance, establishing cause/effect, and presenting findings.
Sources: Understanding that history relies on artefacts and written evidence, distinguishing primary vs. secondary sources, and recognizing potential bias.
Conflict & Invasion: Examining how repeated invasions shaped Britain’s language, settlements, and culture.
People & Innovation: Studying key individuals, developments, and creative leaps through the ages.
Empire, Rulers & Power: Investigating governance, monarchy, parliament, and societal structures.

Practicing & Embedding Foundational Skills

Area	Opportunities to Practise & Embed Secure Skills
Communication & Language (CLL)	Collaborative enquiries, asking and answering questions, discussing artefacts/sources in full sentences, respectful listening, and using subject-specific vocabulary.
Executive Function	Planning group presentations, sustaining attention during source analysis, evaluating evidence to refine understanding, ignoring distractions, and taking turns with physical artefacts.
Writing & Literacy	Reading and recording historical terms, applying phonics to document findings, labelling historical diagrams, and writing structured narrative accounts.
Mathematics	Writing historical dates accurately, calculating time intervals, and constructing and reading chronological timelines.

Progression: Early Years (Reception Outcomes)

Foundational Outcomes for History (Early Learning Goals)

Communication, Language & Literacy: Ask questions to clarify understanding, express ideas using past/present/future tenses, and retell stories using new vocabulary.
Understanding the World (Past & Present): Talk about the lives and roles of people around them, identify similarities and differences between the past and now, and explore the past through books and storytelling.
Numerical Patterns: Count verbally beyond 20 to establish foundational sequencing and timeline patterns.

Curriculum Overview for History

Stage / Cycle	Autumn (Conflict & Invasion)	Spring (People & Innovation)	Summer (Rulers, Power & Empire)
KS1 A (2026/27)	Hospitals & Health (Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole, Edith Cavell)	Great Fire of London	Kings, Queens & Castles (Elizabeth I vs. Elizabeth II; Monarch to Parliament)
KS1 B (2027/28)	The Gunpowder Plot (Guy Fawkes)	Daily Life (Comparing life to grandparents’ childhoods)	Explorers (European Exploration)
LKS2 A (2026/27)	History of Fortifications & Settlements	Stone Age to Iron Age	Roman Britain
LKS2 B (2027/28)	Anglo-Saxons	Ancient Greeks (Sparta vs. Athens)	Ancient Egypt
UKS2 A (2026/27)	Battle of Britain (RAF vs. Luftwaffe)	Japan and Europe (Knights vs. Samurai)	The Roman Empire
UKS2 B (2027/28)	Ancient Mayans	The Victorians (Local History Study)	Battle of Hastings (1066 Succession Crisis)

Ensuring Inclusive Practice

In addition to standard provision, these targeted adaptations ensure success for all learners in History.

Broad Area of Need	Specific Barriers	Planned Adaptations
Communication & Interaction	• Expressive language • Receptive language • Social communication	• Sentence stems, visual word banks, and pre-taught key vocabulary. • Front-load lesson vocabulary; use concise instructions supported by visual aids. • Model discussion routines, provide stems for turn-taking, and structure group work.
Cognition & Learning	• Working memory • Dyscalculia • Executive functioning • Dyslexia / Literacy • Aphantasia	• Display key vocabulary; paste visual timelines and unit summaries in exercise books. • Use physical timelines to contextualize time and dates. • Break tasks into small steps using visual checklists. • Reduce writing demands via labelled diagrams, voice recordings, scribing, and writing frames. • Provide concrete stimuli: real artefacts, models, video clips, and photographs.
Sensory & Physical	• Visual Impairment (VI) • Hearing Impairment (HI) • Sensory Overload (Autism/SPD) • Fine Motor Coordination	• Enlarged images/diagrams, optimized lighting, and prioritized front-row seating. • Visual instructions alongside verbal ones, forward-facing speech, and low ambient noise. • Offer quiet spaces, pre-warn for noisy multimedia clips, and provide ear defenders. • Extend task completion time and provide modified writing line options.
SEMH	• Anxiety & Perfectionism • Impulse control	• Emphasize that history involves interpretation without single “right” answers; reward effort. • Establish consistent routines, visual start/stop cues, and planned sensory breaks.