Curriculum – History
Intent
At Lumley Junior School, we use the National Curriculum for History as the basis of our History programme.
The National Curriculum for History aims to ensure that all pupils:
- know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
- know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
- gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
- understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
- understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
- gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
We believe that the History curriculum should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. We aim to equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. History helps children to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
Knowledge and Key Skills Progression Grids:
HISTORY – KS2 Knowledge and Key Skills Progression – updated October 2023
Implementation
Our History curriculum is enquiry-based and we hope for our pupils to have a chronological understanding of history, from the Stone Age to present day.
Lessons are adapted where necessary to meet the neds of pupils including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Our curriculum also considers our locality so pupils discover why the Romans marched through County Durham (LKS2) and complete a local study into how Great Lumley has changed (UKS2). Pupils use primary and secondary resources to enable them to act like historians, making their own judgements about events in the past and consider why it is important that we study the past.
Impact
By the end of Key Stage Two most children will:
Chronological Understanding
- Place the topics covered on a timeline: Stone Age, Iron Age, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Settlement of Great Lumley, WWI and British Monarchs.
- Place significant periods of time since the Romans left on a timeline.
- Demonstrate a chronological understanding of the Mayan timeline of events.
Historical Enquiry
- Use primary and secondary sources, including photographs, eye witness accounts and artifacts, to investigate historical periods studied.
- Use historical research to discover periods studied.
Compare and Contrast
- Describe similarities and differences between the historical periods studied.
- Compare and contrast life at various historical periods, including a comparison with modern Britain.
- Identify how the Vikings changed the North East.
- Compare and contrast leisure throughout time periods.
Explain and Interpret
- Explain how archaeologists find out about the past.
- Explain how various history influences life today.
- Summarise how Britain has learnt from other countries and civilizations.
- Suggest how certain civilizations ended (Mayan).
- Explain the impact of: mining on Great Lumley, WWI, various British Monarchs.
