History and Geography
History Curriculum Intent
Link to National Curriculum History Programme of Study.
“If you know your history, then you would know where you’re coming from.” Bob Marley
At All Saints School, our History curriculum helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It inspires children’s curiosity and encourages critical thinking about the past. Through the analysis of evidence and evaluation of a range of sources, pupils will ask questions about the past, and consider how human mistakes, experiences and achievements have shaped their locality, their world and impacted the way they live today. Pupils learn 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. Our History Curriculum will immerse pupils in historical study through high quality teaching, analysing primary and secondary sources of evidence, inspirational trips and knowledgeable visitors. This is intended to ensure learning is more meaningful, and pupils’ ability to make links and draw comparisons with and between previous learning is strengthened. As a result, pupils develop understanding of chronology, links between historical events, and cause and effect.
Our History curriculum is taught as part of termly projects which usually start with the introduction of a big idea or question which will develop the children’s curiosity whilst drawing on prior knowledge, skills and understanding. Through our carefully planned curriculum progression, children will examine their own personal history and develop their sense of chronology throughout the study of projects through EYFS, Key Stages 1 and 2. Sequences of lessons start with pupils learning and understanding key facts and concepts, then moving on to develop and apply their understanding. Finally in the innovation stage, the children evaluate what they have learnt by, for example, creating work to reflect their understanding. This approach ensures that pupils are challenged to move beyond the learning of facts to using their knowledge in more sophisticated ways. Teachers ensure that the key themes of democracy (including monarchy and parliament), equality and inequality, empire and invasion, war and conflict and civilisation and settlement are revisited as these concepts are essential for pupils to understand in order for them to grasp the bigger recurring themes and issues which run throughout history. In addition to these concepts, we aim to ensure children develop a range of skills essential to them in the study of History. These fall into three broad groups:
- Chronological understanding:
- Historical perspective (difference between short- and long-term timescales)
- Relationships between different periods of time.
- Interpreting knowledge:
- Making connections
- Comparing and contrasting, and identifying what is the same and what is different
- Determining significance
- Historical enquiry
- Using and evaluating evidence
- Asking historically valid questions
- Creating own accounts
Our History curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that children’s prior knowledge and understanding is revisited and built upon. For example, when developing a child’s chronological understanding across the school. In Year 1, children will order information on a timeline of events for the Fire of London. In Year 3, they will sequence dates and information from several historical periods i.e., Stone Age, Bronze and Iron Age. This is then developed further in Year 6 where they articulate and present a clear, chronological world history narrative within and across historical periods studied e.g., timeline of significant events of WW2.
How can I support my child with History?
- Look at events beyond their living memory
Talk to grandparents about their childhood and compare with their own experiences e.g., toys, cooking, school
- Research the local area
You could go for a walk to the Victorian houses and compare them with the houses in the Ladygrove estate. This would support the Year 2 ‘Street Detectives’ project. Children could also visit the Didcot Railway Centre and consider why the railway was so important to the growth of Dudcote village to present day Didcot, the commuter buzzing town of today?
- Piece together why things have happened
Look at Didcot in the past e.g. photographs, old maps, newspaper, census. Discuss how it has changed
- Discuss and explore History Together
We are extremely lucky to have local museums that you could visit with your child. Encourage them to talk about what they found out.
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History-This would support Year 1 ‘Dinosaur Planet’ project.
- Ashmolean Museum has several exhibitions-These would support Year 3 ‘Gods and Mortals’, Year 4 ‘I Am Warrior’, ‘Traders and Raiders’ and Year 5 ‘Pharaohs’ ‘Peasant, Princes and Pestilence’ projects.
- Oxford Castle-This would support Year 2 ‘Towers, Tunnels and Turrets’ and Year 5 ‘Peasant, Princes and Pestilence’ projects.
- Pitt Rivers Museum- This would support Year 3 ‘Tribal Tales’ project.
Geography Curriculum Intent
Link to National Curriculum Geography Programme of Study.
“The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.” Barack Obama (Former US President)
A geographer leaving at All Saints Primary School will have a meaningful knowledge and understanding of the world that is relevant to them. Through our carefully planned and sequenced curriculum, children will have opportunities to develop their understanding across a wide range of contexts, from local to world geography so they know more and remember more. Children will revisit common themes and concepts within geography such as place, space and interconnections and develop their understanding of abstract terms such as trade, economy and migration. Children will also learn to use a number of progressive geographical resources such as atlases, sketch maps, digital maps, OS maps, keys, symbols, compass directions and grid references. Using maps, atlases and digital maps, children will develop locational and place knowledge to name continents, countries, counties, cities, oceans, seas and mountains. We know that through carefully planned repetition and links to prior learning children will be able to recall and name many famous and well-known landmarks and places across the world. They will have a good understanding of the key terminology and vocabulary to explain a detailed range of human and physical features and processes such as the water cycle. They will also develop an understanding of how settlements have evolved over time and the impact this has had on the formation of places, the use of land and subsequently the impact on environments, climate change and sustainability. Children will be able to compare their own environment to others, explain how this environment has developed and how their places are interconnected with others. Children will also explore the impact of people on a place, how cultures and diversity develop. We will also challenge children to critically think about the future impact people’s footprint will have on the world and what we can do about it.
Local geography is an important area of learning at All Saints Primary School. In Foundation Stage, children are taught about their immediate environment through observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps. This gives the children an excellent foundation in learning about the local environment. This is further built upon in Year Two during their ‘Street Detectives’ project where children develop their knowledge of key landmarks and services in the local community and how changes occur over time. Furthermore, they learn about the impact they can make as the younger generation, for the benefit of their town. Year 3 explore the culture and environment of city life in their ‘Urban Pioneers’ project. They develop their knowledge of building design, urban art and photography and they also explore how urban environments can be improved, thinking about their immediate local environment. In Year 6, children use OS maps and the eight compass points to locate the cities and ports bombed during the Blitz in their ‘A Child’s War’ project. They also look closely at the surrounding areas, considering why these places were vulnerable to bombing, including investigating their local area. Maps are then drawn by the children that include areas that were bombed, and other geographical features are included, such as rivers and railways.
How can I support my child with Geography?
- Go on a journey together
When out on a journey, either on foot or by car, share the road map or a map on a phone app to help your child follow the route, while you talk about where you are going. To build on their knowledge, you could ask them to draw their own map of their journey to school which includes any natural or man-made features along the way.
- Out and about in your local area
Chat about local physical features, attractions and activities. You could even develop this idea by using role play, asking your child to be a tourist guide for the local area for visiting friends and relatives.
- Holidays
Compare a different location with your home area. You could ask your child to talk through the similarities and differences, for example. Half terms and holidays also provide an opportunity for a museum visit or a trip to a tourist attraction. There are many free museums in our local area which are well worth a visit!
- Books/TV/Internet
Some age-appropriate computer games can provide your child with a view of distant places and new countries. They enable your child to be transported instantly to another place. Prompt their thinking with questions, such as: What might the weather be like in this place? Why might the road have been built where it is? What might the time distance be? Questioning can then lead to many, rich Geographical discussions which can develop children's curiosity of the world around them.
