Inspire. Enrich. Achieve.
“My favourite subject is History because I enjoy learning about the different things that happened long ago and how they all link together. Studying different parts of history from different parts of the world is fascinating and amazing when compared to how we live today.”
-Lyla, Year 6
In our school the teaching of history inspires curiosity about the past and how it has shaped the world in which we live today. History teaching at St Peter’s focuses on enabling children to think like historians. Our curriculum is planned to ensure historical knowledge is taught alongside the development of subject specific skills including; chronology, interpretations of evidence, changes within a time and across time periods and cause and consequence.
We use Cornerstones as a platform for our curriculum planning. Some of the topics the children engage with from Cornerstones, such as ‘A Child’s War’ which looks at World War 2, will have History as the driver subject. Other topics may have other subjects as the focus, however History will still be taught within. A good example of this would be ‘Frozen Kingdom’, which has Geography as its driver, but still looks at the sinking of the Titanic and Robert Falcon Scott’s journey to the South Pole.
We want pupils to be able to ask pertinent questions about the past, analyse evidence, think critically, appreciate different perspectives and develop informed judgements. Pupils consider how the past influences the present, what past societies were like and what beliefs and cultures influenced people’s actions. As they do this, pupils develop a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people.
History at St Peter’s is taught through broad, challenging and inspiring topics, which are used to deliver the content within a meaningful context and wherever possible make connections to learning in other subjects. The topics have been designed to complement and build on one another with clear progression and links so that in subsequent year groups, they will be able to explore concepts deeper, applying their knowledge in different contexts. Some of the topics the children engage with from Cornerstones, such as ‘A Child’s War’ which looks at World War 2, will have History as the driver subject. Other topics may have other subjects as the focus, however History will still be taught within. A good example of this would be ‘Frozen Kingdom’, which has Geography as its driver, but still looks at the sinking of the Titanic and Robert Falcon Scott’s journey to the South Pole.
Our History curriculum helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups. Within the teaching of history, we promote our Christian values.
Alongside our Topics, we also incorporate ‘standalone’ History learning experiences where appropriate. For example, Black History Month is incorporated into the children’s learning each year. In 2021-22, we looked at seven prominent black figures throughout history and developed the children’s understanding of why these people were significant and important for all people and races.
