Roach Vale Primary School
Intent:
- To enable all pupils to achieve their full potential in history
- To build a solid foundation of knowledge about Britain, from the earliest times to the present day, and how people’s lives have shaped the nation and have influenced the wider world
- To build a solid foundation of knowledge about significant aspects of the history of the wider world e.g. Roman Empire, Shang Dynasty, Ancient Maya, Ancient Greece and Ancient Egyptians
- To build a solid foundation of historical concepts e.g. change, cause and effect, similarity, difference and use these concepts to make connections
- To build a solid foundation of skills in historical enquiry, including how evidence is used and why different interpretations of the past have been formed
The History curriculum at Roach Vale Primary School aims to develop children's love of learning and curiosity about past events and how these impact on their present experiences. Our pupils will experience a creative, broad, and balanced curriculum which will expose them to a range of key historical events from both the UK and world History.
In KS1, the History Curriculum is in chronological order and has relevance to the children's lives e.g. firework night, toys, lifeboats, the beach, aeroplanes, our queen, and our school. Sequencing, events/ periods, and stories over time allows us to show our younger pupils how different times relate to each other and this contributes to a coherent understanding of the past. In LKS2, there is a balance of both chronological and non-chronological content. As the children get older, we don't prioritise the teaching of topics in chronological order, but we ensure that we relate the topics we teach to the children's chronological context. In LKS2, the children learn about the Romans and the History of Colchester Castle to provide links between Colchester and national and international events. They also learn about the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons as well as Ancient China (the Shang Dynasty) which complements the UKS2 content. In UKS2, the children learn about two other ancient civilisations - the Maya and Greeks - looking at where and when they developed, the similarities between them and how they relate to the children's broadly based chronological understanding of the past.
As the curriculum progresses, our pupils will become more equipped with the analytical and investigative skills required to look closely at sources of evidence and to consider how we know what we know about each topic. The child will also be exposed to a wide range of historical vocabulary, which will become more advanced as they progress through the school and be confident in understanding and using this vocabulary.
The History curriculum is enriched through engaging and inspiring books (in line with our vocabulary rich curriculum https://roachvaleprimary.co.uk/our-children/curriculum-1/curriculum-information ) to help pupils develop their vocabulary and love for learning.