History at West Wycombe School

At West Wycombe School, the history curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive and progressive understanding of historical events and their impact on society. The curriculum is structured to build on students' knowledge year by year, with each year group focusing on specific historical topics.

Intent

Our school is committed to delivering a comprehensive history curriculum that aligns with the National Curriculum standards. Our intent is to inspire students to develop a deep understanding of historical concepts and knowledge through an inquiry-based approach. By exploring significant events and individuals, we aim to foster curiosity, critical thinking, and empathy while building awareness of human behaviour's complexities and societal diversity.

Implementation

Our history curriculum uses a spiral model, allowing students to revisit and build upon their knowledge and skills across historical contexts. We pose key questions at the start of each topic, that children are inspired to explore as informed historians. This allows children to have ownership of their learning, enabling them to consider what they would like to learn, as well as linking to their prior knowledge.

We follow the Kapow curriculum structure, ensuring our curriculum is sequenced and progressive. Each lesson is thoughtfully crafted to engage students through hands-on activities and historical inquiry, ensuring all learners can access the content. Each six-lesson unit has a focus on chronology to allow children to explore the place in time of the period they are studying and make comparisons in other parts of the world. In EYFS, children explore the concept of history by reflecting on key experiences from their own past, helping them understand that they each have their own histories. They then engage in activities to compare and contrast characters from stories, including historical figures, deepening their understanding of how individual lives fit into broader historical narratives. Children further develop their awareness of the past in Key stage 1 and throughout Key Stage 2, begin to use this knowledge to understand where people and events fit chronologically. 

Lessons are designed to be varied, engaging and hands-on, allowing children to experience the different aspects of a historical enquiry. In each lesson, children will participate in activities involving disciplinary and substantive concepts, developing their knowledge and understanding of Britain’s role in the past and that of the wider world. Children will develop their knowledge of concepts and chronology as well as their in-depth knowledge of the context being studied.

We plan effective use of educational visits and visitors, to enrich and enhance our pupil’s learning experience and the History curriculum. We regularly asking children about their own experiences, enabling them to make links between what they already know and new knowledge and skills.

Impact

The impact of our history curriculum is measured through both formative and summative assessments, enabling us to monitor student progress and identify areas for improvement.

By the time children leave us in Year 6, students will:

● Know and understand the history of Britain, how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.

● Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world.

● Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts - power, invasion, etc.

● Form historical arguments and articulate them effectively.

● Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day. 

● Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.

● Ask (and answer) historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts of the past.

● Be able to demonstrate they have remembered key knowledge and developed key historical inquiry skills. 

Links Between Topics:

• The curriculum starts with personal and familiar history in the early years, gradually expanding to broader historical contexts.
• There is a progression from understanding personal and local history to exploring ancient civilizations and significant historical events.
• The curriculum integrates themes of societal impact and change, such as the influence of explorers, the development of flight, and the effects of invasions and settlements.
• Comparative studies, such as those between the Maya civilization and the Anglo-Saxons, help students understand different cultures and historical periods.
• The focus on significant historical events, like World War II, and the use of local census data in Year 6, provide students with a deeper understanding of how history shapes the present.

Overall, the history curriculum at West Wycombe School is designed to foster a comprehensive understanding of historical events and their lasting impact, encouraging students to make connections between different periods and themes as they progress through their education.