History is our record of what happened in the past and why. It involves children in studying themselves and other significant people in different societies, cultures and countries. We follow the National Curriculum programme of study for this subject and inspire our young historians by teaching them to learn and understand about the past and its influence on life today. They are taught to develop their knowledge and understanding of their own and other people’s countries and cultures. They find out about the past through research and exploration. They make use of real artifacts to inspire their thinking and generate natural lines of enquiry. This includes developing their understanding of what happened in the past being open to interpretation. Our learning is enriched by our local area, which provides us with a wealth of history and culture.

Our historical topics

• A study of their own personal history.
• Events beyond living memory such as the Great Fire of London, brought to life through role play, creative writing and educational trips/visitors that link to fire safety.
• Events commemorated through festivals and anniversaries such as women’s rights to vote, national and local elections.
• The exploration of lives of significant individuals in their own lives (grandparents) and those who have contributed to national or international achievements (explorers and discoverers).
• Children can often be overheard discussing and questioning their own experiences of past and present, particularly in our book corners, e.g. Dark, Dark Tale (toys).

Historical skills

• Children develop skills of chronological order through use of timelines for both personal and historical events.
• Children are encouraged to develop and apply language associated to the passing of time.
• Children develop skills of observation and analysis of different time periods, identifying key events, similarities and differences.
• They use a range of primary and secondary resources to find out information about the past.