History

Our  Long Term Overview outlines key aspects of History teaching and learning in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 at Aspin Park Academy.

History knowledge and skills progression document

History at Aspin Park Academy is focussed on enquiry and chronological understanding for all children. Sequenced from the EYFS framework, the National Curriculum 2014 and the Elevate MAT History curriculum document, children take a journey through a range of periods of time to gain an understanding of ‘Past and Present’.  

Pedagogical Approach

Each History unit is delivered through our pedagogical approach where we ‘sow the seed’ to launch our learning. 

We ‘engage’ and ‘develop’ skills through well sequenced enquiry lead questions. At the start of each lesson, we review previous learning. Questioning is carefully planned to help children demonstrate understanding, deepen thinking and connect new material to prior learning. Large concepts or ideas are split into small steps so that the working memory of our children is not overloaded. Recall and repeated practice means children save knowledge in their long-term memory. 

We ‘harvest’ learning at the end of a unit to review our learning. 

Intent

At Aspin Park Academy, it is our intent that our teaching of History will enable pupils to gain a secure knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our curriculum will inspire children’s curiosity about the past and make links to the present day. It will develop our children’s skills to investigate, consider and reflect. Our History Curriculum will teach the children to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups of people. 

Implementation

The sequence of the curriculum very much focuses on knowledge of chronology. There is a focus on understanding of the terms ‘Past and Present’ from EYFS to Key Stage 1. As the children move to Key Stage 2, all topics are based on the National Curriculum and are sequenced in chronological order starting from the Stone Age in Year 3 to World War II in Year 6. There are threads that run throughout the curriculum, such as chronology, cause and effect, similarity and difference, significance, and hierarchy, which are revisited in different year groups allowing children to build on their prior knowledge. Children are encouraged to learn historical knowledge by using enquiry-based learning with key questioning and through a range of teaching and learning styles. Cross-curricular links can be made through a range of subjects making History evident around school. We ensure that our children have the opportunity to learn about local and national studies. Each year group visits our local town, Knaresborough, to enhance our understanding of different aspects of our local history.  

Impact 

Children at Aspin Park Academy will become keen historians but also respectful citizens of our community with an understanding of key events that have shaped our past, our present and will shape our future. 

Our children say: 

“History is important to learn about the past because it will help me inform my choices today.” 

“It’s really interesting to learn about what has happened in life before I was born.” 

Suggested Books

A street through time 

A child through time 

See inside: The History of Britain 

So you think you've got it bad