History at Holy Family Primary School 

Intent

At The Holy Family Primary School we employ a topic and enquiry based approach to teaching and learning in History. This is being taught using the Rising Stars History scheme of work. We believe that teaching History  in a creative and concrete way is fundamental to the development of Historical understanding.

Curriculum aims for History

At The Holy Family Catholic Primary School we follow the National Curriculum Programmes of study for History, and it is our aim that in History our pupils:-

• Know and understand British history as a sequence of time periods 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; characteristic features of past non-European societies and their achievements
• Gain an understanding of terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’ and ‘parliament’
• 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 to make historical claims and consider how interpretations of the past have been constructed
• Understand the connections between local, regional, national and international history

Early Years

History is taught in Nursery and Reception as an integral part of the topic work through child-initiated and adult led activities. The children are given the opportunity to find out about past and present events in their own lives, and those of their families and other people they know. In the Foundation stage history makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s understanding of the world through activities such as looking at pictures of famous people in history or discovering the meaning of new and old in relation to their own lives.

Resources and Websites to support children's learning