Click here to see the overview for history 2024-2026
Intent
At Broadfield, our aim is to provide opportunities for children to develop as confident, articulate and well-rounded children who can succeed as individuals and contribute to their community and the wider world.
We teach children a sense of chronology, in order to develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. This enables our children to learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain. We aim to make all children aware of the actions of important people in History and enable children to know about significant events in British History, whilst appreciating how things have changed over time. We aim to enable children to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. In this, students will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and its events, with intention to improve every students’ cultural capital, understanding of the world around them and their own heritage. We encourage pupils to evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources. Our historians will also be able to explain clearly how these sources give us an insight about how people around the world used to live and how these interpretations may differ. Pupils will be taught to make links between these areas of learning, with the aim of developing engaged, motivated and curious learners that can reflect on the past and make meaningful links to the present day.
Implementation
Our History curriculum offers high quality and well-planned lessons which ensure progression through each year group. History is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children achieve depth in their learning. We have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school.
At the start of each topic children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic. Children are given a knowledge organiser at the start of each topic which details some key information, dates and vocabulary. This is not used as part of an assessment, but to support children with their acquisition of knowledge and is used as a reference document. Staff will model explicitly the subject-specific vocabulary relevant to the learning to allow children to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts. Tier three subject specific vocabulary is displayed on the learning wall along with key facts and enquiry questions. To support teaching, staff access a range of resources and planning including The Historical Association, Plan Bee, and Key Stage History.
Meaningful cross curricular links are made with other subjects to strengthen connections and understanding for pupils while exploring historical contexts. We maximise cross curricular links particularly within our English curriculum. This allows children to research, explore and implement historical vocabulary, knowledge and skills. SMSC is embedded throughout the subject. Lessons promote political literacy, from looking at the birth of democracy during Ancient Greece to evaluating the effectiveness of the monarchy throughout the Tudor Era. Our children are taught to understand different ways of bringing about reform, the significance of social issues and the consequences of failure to act.
History assessment is ongoing throughout the cross-curricular themes to inform teachers with their planning lesson activities. Summative assessment is completed at the end of each topic where history objectives have been covered. Our historians will be given a variety of experiences both in and out of the classroom where appropriate to create memorable learning opportunities and to further support and develop their understanding.
EYFS
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supports children’s understanding of History through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World’. This aspect is about how children find out about past and present events in their own lives, their families and other people they know. Children are encouraged to develop a sense of change over time and are given opportunities to differentiate between past and present by observing routines throughout the day, observing the passing of seasons and time and looking at photographs of their life and of others. Use of language relating to time is used in daily routines and conversations with children for example, ‘yesterday’, ‘old’, ‘past’, ‘now’ and ‘then’.
Impact
By the time they leave Broadfield, children will have a chronological understanding of British History from the Stone Age to the present day. They are able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece and the Egyptians.
To ensure the above, we review work in topic and literacy books to ensure that they evidence a broad and balanced History curriculum and demonstrate children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge. Children’s History work is displayed around the school and shared in Newsletters to showcase high expectations, alongside encouraging a sense of pride in their work. At Broadfield, Pupil voice shows that pupils are confident and able to talk about what they have learnt in History using subject specific vocabulary. Pupil voice also demonstrates that pupils enjoy History and are able to recall their learning over time.