We aim to instil a love of history in all our children as they develop an increasing awareness of the world around them and their place in it. Children are taught about various historical events; where they fit within an historical timeline; and famous historical figures. We encourage cross-curricular links, building a curriculum that is relevant to our children and their lived experiences in our area of Southeast London. Our curriculum will ensure that all children gain an age-appropriate understanding of Britain’s past and other key periods from history whilst encouraging them to ask and answer questions of increasing complexity.

We will embed an understanding of chronology as children are encouraged to make connections between different periods and historical themes. Children will also develop a sense of identity and cultural capital as they explore and celebrate their own heritage.

Children are taught appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum and supplemented by Chris Quigley Education materials. History is delivered through subject-specific teaching, organised into blocks under a theme and planned to ensure that skills and knowledge are built on year by year with appropriate sequencing to maximise learning for all children. Progression grids are used to ensure there are clear skills and knowledge progression throughout the school.

Where appropriate we use historical artefacts, immersion days, visitors, workshops and visits to excite and encourage children to find out more about events and people from the past. We also ensure that children are aware of history right up to the present through the use of First News children’s newspaper, and we run comprehension sessions looking at contemporary news events. We have also positioned untold stories at the centre of our planning as we continue our work on decolonising the curriculum and increasing representation for all the protected characteristics.

All children are supported to engage in history lessons through the regular use of sentence starters, scaffolds and visual resources. We also recognise and celebrate opportunities for all children to contribute during discussions, roleplay and other practical activities. 

Children are engaged in history lessons and want to find out more. Work shows that a range of topics are covered, while cross-curricular links are made where possible. The school environment is history rich through the use of displays, resources and vocabulary.

Children are able to talk about the skills and knowledge they have acquired during history lessons and they make good progress with subject-specific skills as they move through the school. Children are enthusiastic history learners, and they show this in pupil conferencing, their contributions to lessons, written outcomes and on-going teacher assessments.

Subject leaders are given time to monitor the subject across the school; including completing book looks, creating action plans and providing feedback to teachers and SLT.