History

Subject Leader: Miss Skelton

Miss Skelton leads History across the school and works closely with staff to ensure the curriculum is ambitious, engaging and progressive for all pupils. We want children to develop a strong understanding of the past, think critically about historical events and sources, and appreciate how history has shaped the world around them. Pupils will build curiosity, empathy and confidence as young historians while developing key skills in analysis, discussion and interpretation. 

Our Vision/Intent

At Athelstan Primary School, history plays a vital role in helping pupils understand the world and their place within it. Through learning about the past, pupils develop the knowledge and context needed to make sense of the present. We aim to develop curious, critical thinkers who can question, interpret and evaluate evidence, enabling them to become informed and responsible members of their community.

Our history curriculum is carefully sequenced to build pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time. Through a clear progression of skills, vocabulary and concepts, pupils revisit and deepen their learning, enabling them to think and work as historians. Teaching focuses on developing both substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills, ensuring pupils can interpret sources, understand chronology and form evidence-based judgements.

History is taught as a purposeful and engaging subject, designed to stimulate curiosity about how the modern world has been shaped. Pupils explore significant events, periods and individuals, including those within their local area, helping them to develop a sense of place and connection to the past. These experiences support pupils in understanding change, diversity and the impact of history on their own lives.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will have developed secure historical knowledge and the ability to think critically about the past. They will be confident in using evidence, questioning sources and forming reasoned interpretations, equipping them with the skills needed for future learning and to engage thoughtfully with the world around them.
 

What does learning look like?

In History, children will:

• Ask and answer historical questions through enquiry-based learning
• Develop a secure understanding of chronology and place events within historical periods
• Explore significant people, events and civilisations from British and world history
• Use and interpret a range of primary and secondary sources, including artefacts, images and documents
• Compare different historical interpretations and explain why accounts may differ
• Develop an understanding of cause and consequence in historical events
• Make connections between the past and the present, understanding how history has shaped modern society
• Learn and apply subject-specific historical vocabulary confidently
• Discuss, debate and justify ideas using historical evidence
• Record their learning in a variety of ways, including discussion, extended writing, timelines, research and presentations
• Revisit prior learning regularly to strengthen knowledge and deepen understanding over time
• Develop curiosity, critical thinking and independence as young historians