History
History
At Alton Park Junior School we believe a high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Using the CUSP curriculum, we aim to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. From Year 3 to Year 6, associated historical vocabulary is planned sequentially and cumulatively, incorporating a range of modules that revisit, elaborate and explore sophisticated key concepts, events, people and places whilst bringing history alive for our children.
Aims of the History Curriculum
The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:
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know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
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know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
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gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
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understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
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understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
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gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
Our Intent
By the end of Year 6, pupils at Alton Park Junior School will:
Aspiration - have developed a curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world and recognise the range of careers that link to historical skills and knowledge;
Learning - have a secure understanding of a range of historical knowledge and skills, that are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately. These will include:
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a chronological framework of significant events and people;
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the ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence; derived from a range of sources;
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be able to research and interpret evidence, including primary and secondary sources.
Tenacity - have the ability to think critically about history, find evidence, critique it, and use it to support their conclusions, explanations and judgements;
Opportunity - have a desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake research across a range of history topics. They will have access to educational visits and focus days in order to deepen their understanding;
Nurture - develop a context for their growing sense of identity, use knowledge to influence decisions, attitudes and values, and recognise the importance of their own point of view.