History
History is not about factual accumulation: it is about the process of enquiry into how we find out about the past and how we are able to be sure what really did happen. This process of discovery is, of course, one of the things about the teaching of history at St. Peter’s that makes it fun and enjoyable for children to learn
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. “
Marcus Garvey
At St Peter’s we want our pupils to use an enquiry based approach to learning about the past, using historical evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions. To do this, they need to be able to research, sift through evidence, and argue for their point of view – skills that they will take with them into adult life.
EYFS
History is taught in Reception classes as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year as required by Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) of the National Curriculum, the history aspects of children’s work relates to the objectives set out in the Early Years Outcome which underpin curriculum planning for the children. Children begin to learn that as they grow they are increasingly able to do things independently. This emerging knowledge and understanding can be used to explore crucial early historical skills.
KS1/KS2
The school uses the National Curriculum and a topic based creative curriculum as the basis for its curriculum planning.
Children are encouraged to discover, question, observe and experience history through a variety of learning and teaching styles and settings. These include: visiting sites of historical significance; storytelling and story-writing e.g. Diary, re-telling of key events; using film to develop and enhance skills of inference and interpretation; using artefacts and primary sources to develop and enhance understanding about the life of people in the past; using reference texts and web-based resources, posters and maps to enhance understanding of historical context and chronology; the use of Art to present primary source material in a visual and imaginative way; allowing children to express their understanding and learning through art-based activities.
Please use the links below to view the policy, skills progression and topics taught in each year group as this will provide further information and insight on our approach to the teaching and learning of History throughout the school.
Jubilee week
During Jubilee week, we will be celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee through a whole school history topic. It covers her life from her role as Princess Elizabeth through her coronation, and other jubilee events, to her influence today. As Britain’s longest serving monarch, her reign covers a 70-year period of massive change. The youngest children will focus mainly on a comparison between 1952 and 2022 to strengthen their grasp of similarity and difference. Older children will extend their chronological understanding to look at jubilees as far back as late Queen Victoria’s reign so they gain a better understanding of change through time.
Titanic
Highlights of the Year 5 Summer 1 topic on Saxons.
As a Stunning start to our new topic ‘Titanic’, the Year five children were given an envelope containing a ticket with a real passenger’s name and the class they would be travelling in. This caused great excitement! The hall was transformed into the mighty ship and the children chose clothes appropriate for their class of passenger. Welcomed into their different classes, the children then learnt about what the facilities would have been like for them, what would they would have eaten on board and how likely it is that they would have survived the fatal sinking. Once back in class, the children used I pads to research their passenger looking at details such as: where they originated from, why they were travelling to New York, who they were travelling with and most importantly whether they survived or died! A fantastic time was had by all.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE…
Our History Policy can be viewed by clicking here
Please find below the links to some websites you may find useful when thinking about History topics at home with your child.
Horrible Histories
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/horrible-histories
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00sp0l8/horrible-histories
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcw76sg
https://www.historyforkids.net/
This unit of work has been designed to be used as a one-off study to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. It covers her life from her role as Princess Elizabeth through her coronation, and other jubilee events, to her influence today. As Britain’s longest serving monarch her reign covers a 70-year period of massive change. The youngest children will focus mainly on a comparison between 1952 and 2022 to strengthen their grasp of similarity and difference. Older children will extend their chronological understanding to look at jubilees as far back as late Queen Victoria’s reign so they gain a better understanding of change through time.
If you have any suggestions of websites, you have found useful, please do let the School Office
