History

History At Easton Primary School

Our Intent

At Easton Primary School, we instill in our pupils that history is not just about facts; it has its own distinct set of skills and concepts that must be taught to give children a ‘coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world’. Through investigation and enquiry, pupils will develop an understanding of places, people and events over time, reflecting on their impact and consequences. 

Our curriculum is a progression model informed by the National Curriculum (2014) which outlines the key concepts that children will learn, broken down into the substantive and disciplinary knowledge which is scaffolded and built on over time.  Every lesson is underpinned by chronology. Both the overall narrative of history and internal narrative of a lifetime, event or full period are vital to piece together the complex and intertwining history that we teach.

Whilst it is important for children to have facts, we wish to encourage independent and critical thinking which will foster an understanding of ‘why’ as well as ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘where’. Regular time for discussion is planned for across all classes which fosters an attitude of enquiry and encourages children to ask as well as answer questions about history.

Each unit being planned includes opportunities for children to investigate, handle artefacts, pictorial evidence, watch historical footage, take part in role play activities, visit relevant sites and museums and where appropriate, experience oral history, engaging with historical characters and ways of life. History should be an interactive subject which strives to ignite a child’s natural curiosity.

At Easton Primary School, local history and heritage studies are an integral part of the study of our British history and allows us to look at a historical issue, theme, event or person. As part of our study of local history, children will focus on a particular area to move from ‘local’ or ‘national’ and often on the ‘global’ scene. It allows our pupils to develop an understanding of smaller manageable studies to the much larger and more complex studies.