History

At Beck, we aim for our pupils to develop a good understanding of History and the ways in which events from the past have influenced our lives today. We aim to keep History exciting and relevant to ensure that pupils are motivated and enjoy the subject. We aim to foster pupils’ curiosity to learn more about the past to ensure that they gain a good knowledge and understanding of the history of Britain and the wider world. We also ensure that the teaching of history incorporates the concept of change over time and how this has affected the lives of others and in turn, how this has contributed to the world as we know it today. Where appropriate, we make links to Sheffield and the pupils’ local area.

We introduce the concepts of history and the past in Foundation Stage making links to pupils’ own lives which are then built on in Key Stage 1 where pupils begin by learning about events in living memory and then study two different time periods, continuing to make comparisons with their lives today and developing their understanding of the concept of the past. In Key Stage 2, historical periods are taught in chronological order to allow pupils to build on their prior knowledge in a logical way, as well as giving them the opportunity to see how different time periods and events are linked, and how changes to ways of life can impact different societies over time. Year groups also learn about key historical figures and their impact and influence on the world. Each year group begins their History theme by reflecting on their prior learning in History and by thinking carefully about what they might already know and what they would like to find out. This ensures that pupils can take some ownership of their History learning and challenges them to recall prior learning. Teachers also use timelines consistently to place time periods and events in chronological order so that pupils can see how learning builds over time and how pieces of History ‘fit together’.

Through the teaching of History, we aim for pupils to learn from the triumphs and mistakes of the past, contributing to pupils’ understanding of how to be responsible citizens. We want them to be able to ask historical questions and to investigate and explore historical concepts in order to broaden their understanding. We teach pupils a wide range of historical and context specific vocabulary so that they can describe and explain concepts and events clearly.
We aim for pupils to have developed a good understanding of a range of different history themes, time periods and historical figures by the time they leave Key Stage 2. We want pupils to have an understanding of how these time periods, events and historical figures have changed our lives in Britain and the wider world as we know it today. We also aim for them to have a good understanding of chronology, key concepts and terms and historical vocabulary so that they are well prepared for the next stage of their History learning in secondary school. We aim for them to be able to investigate and learn more about different concepts and events by considering questions about change, cause, similarity and difference within the time periods they have studied