Intent
Our History curriculum has been designed to cover all of the skills, knowledge and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum states that ‘a high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.’ (DfE, 2013)
Within Early Years children develop their knowledge of history through the Understanding of the World area of learning. History is taught within subject specific lessons from Year 1 to Year 6. The history curriculum at Holy Spirit Catholic Academy is carefully mapped out so that all pupils leave our school in Year 6 equipped with an understanding of the past that paves the way for their future. Throughout their journey in history, pupils will acquire a breadth of knowledge: of places and people and significant events through time. Pupils will be given the opportunity to develop their ability to ask perceptive questions, think critically, analyse evidence, examine arguments, develop judgement, and understand differing perspectives.
There are four core pillars underpinning the discipline of history:
- Historical enquiry exposes pupils to key questions and gives them the opportunity to ask their own questions.
- Historical enquiry relies on pupils acquiring sufficient historical knowledge.
- Alongside this knowledge, pupils are given the opportunity to develop historical concepts: evidence, interpretation, cause and consequence, change and continuity and significance. Historical concepts provide the structure that shapes the practice of history. These will be revisited multiple times throughout the year and progress across year groups.
- Finally, pupils learn to communicate historical findings in a sequenced, coherent manner both in verbal and written form.
Identifying and combining these core pillars work towards the overall goal of history education – gaining clear historical perspective. With clear historical perspective pupils will be empowered to be active global citizens: understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
History through our faith
Learning from the past helps our children to facilitate a better future for the common good of all God’s people.
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4