Intent
At Castor Church of England Primary School, we aim to inspire pupils to become curious, reflective and critical thinkers about the past. Our history curriculum is designed in line with the National Curriculum, ensuring pupils develop a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
We intend for our pupils to:
- Develop a chronological understanding of significant periods in history
- Understand key concepts such as cause and consequence, continuity and change, similarity and difference
- Build historical enquiry skills, including questioning, interpreting evidence, and forming judgements
- Gain knowledge of significant individuals, events and civilisations
- Develop a sense of identity and cultural awareness, understanding how the past shapes the present
Implementation
Our history curriculum is carefully sequenced and structured to ensure progression of substantive and disciplinary knowledge across all year groups.
Lessons begin with the activation of prior knowledge and placement within a chronological framework. Teachers explicitly teach subject-specific vocabulary and historical concepts.
Enquiry-based learning is central, with children exploring key questions and analysing sources and a range of teaching strategies are used, including discussion, role-play, investigation and written tasks.
Assessment is ongoing and includes:
- Retrieval activities and vocabulary checks
- Pupil discussions and pupil voice
- End of unit outcomes
Formative assessment is ongoing through questioning, discussion and low-stakes knowledge checks. Retrieval practice is embedded to support long-term memory.
Impact
The impact of our history curriculum is evident in pupils’ knowledge, skills and attitudes towards learning.
Pupils will:
- Demonstrate a secure and progressive understanding of historical knowledge
- Confidently use historical vocabulary and concepts in their spoken and written work
- Make links between different periods and explain cause, consequence, and change over time
- Show the ability to analyse sources and form reasoned judgements
- Display curiosity, enthusiasm and a strong interest in history
Pupils will be assessed against the key learning indicators and used by teachers to recognise which children have an emerging, embedded or secure understanding and knowledge.
Books show clear progression in knowledge and depth of understanding and pupils can discuss their learning confidently and make connections across topics