The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
•  know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
•  gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
•  understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
•  understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed History – key stages 1 and 2 2

History planning for KS1 and KS2 is based-upon by the Rising Stars history scheme of work which is  chosen because it is  ambitious and delivers the core of knowledge required by the National Curriculum in an interesting and engaging way.

Children are required not to simply acquire knowledge but to apply it in meaningful contexts. Questions and tasks to stretch and challenge the most able pupils are incorporated where appropriate. Revisiting ideas and concepts in different, more challenging, contexts in later units, using varied assessments and the inclusion of quizzes are all designed to help pupils remember content and integrate new knowledge into their evolving conceptual framework. Quality resources and materials are provided online to support the history curriculum and are sequenced towards the accumulation of skills, knowledge and understanding, working towards the next key stage.

History is delivered in Reception through the ‘Understanding of the World’ element of the Early Years goals**

In Key Stage 1 , History is allocated 1hour of curriculum time per week, in the first half term of each term. It is allocated 18 hours of curriculum time annually*.

In Key Stage 2, History is allocated 1 ½ hours of curriculum time per week, in the first half term of each term. It is allocated 27 hours of curriculum time annually*

The external curriculum has been enhanced by:

• Providing membership to the Historical Association for all teaching staff