“History is for human self-knowledge … the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.”

R.G. Collingwood

Intent

At Park Lane Primary School, we are Historians! We want our children to love history and be interested in the past having a curious approach to their learning. Throughout History teaching and learning, children will develop a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people; what life locally and globally was like; and how their beliefs and values influenced their lives. They will see the diversity of the human experience and come to understand more about themselves as individuals and as part of a wider society. We aim to make children aware of important figures/ people in history and their role in significant events.

Our History curriculum aims to afford the children the opportunity to question, debate and reflect upon matters that have occurred and to build on knowledge acquired in order to evaluate how past events have shaped the present. Different perspectives and viewpoints are essential, and we encourage our Griffins to discuss things openly. We strongly believe such understanding promotes questioning in other areas of the curriculum and in life.

Park Lane’s History curriculum aims to:

• Stimulate children’s natural sense of inquisitiveness and enquiry.
• Create responsible, active citizens who contribute positively to society.
• Encourage children to develop an interest in the past, so that they will come to realise the importance of the past in the construction of a modern society.
• Give the children access to wide variety of primary and secondary sources.
• Provide children with as much experience as possible of historical artefacts and sites in order to learn to interpret and evaluate evidence.
• Relate History to other subject areas, and in doing so, foster a wider perspective about why things occur.

Implementation

Teachers at Park Lane Primary School:

• Have secure subject knowledge of the History curriculum using bespoke sequences of learning to ensure lessons cover a range of skills and knowledge.

• Ensure History is used cross-curricular so that skills are applied in other lessons such as Maths, English and Computing.
• Plan and deliver engaging, hands-on lessons that allow children to develop a range of humanities skills whilst inspiring a sense of awe and wonder within the children.
• Organise visitors/ out of class trips to provide children with immersive experiences linked with Historical events.
• Provide a range of historical sources and artefacts, including those permanently located in school and those loaned as primary sources from a local museum.
• Use Now Press Play headsets to provide alternative experiences.
• Plan lessons around a diverse range of significant individuals in History including links with inspirational women (as showcased in our Year 5 corridor).

Impact

The Park Lane History curriculum is high quality, broad and balanced and is planned to demonstrate progression. Children’s learning is built upon as they progress though school meaning learning is consolidated. Children at Park Lane are deemed to be making good or accelerated progress in this subject. In order to measure the impact of our history curriculum we use the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
• Seesaw provides an evidence base showcasing children’s understanding within history across the school – these are evidenced as QR codes within our history books.
• Children’s articulation of their learning – evidenced through videos on Seesaw, Pupil Voice Meetings and Learning Walks.
• Termly monitoring cycles of books by subject lead ensure that the humanities learning is high quality and consistent across the school. ‘Week in Learning’ by SLT ensures consistency across the school.
• Lesson drop ins by the subject lead monitor the quality of teaching with a focus on questioning, children’s articulation of learning and the application of key skills.