History
Curriculum Intent
It is our intent to help pupils engage with local history through multiple opportunities to delve into the past, work in the classroom and through educational visits.
Pupils will gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives and identify the challenges of our time.
At Albion Primary pupils will secure a significant historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts and understand connections between local, regional, national and international history. As a result of the accumulation of essential knowledge, pupils’ cultural capital and historical disciplines will be substantial and will provide a secure foundation that will enable them to succeed in the next stage of their education.
Children are taught the history of the British Isles from The Stone Age to World War 2, as well as studying other non-European cultures including Ancient Greece and Ancient Benin. We choose topics which allow them to explore the past, think about the present and prepare them for the future. We strive to reflect our multicultural community and our locality through the units we teach.
In History we aim to give children the opportunity to:
- Develop their understanding of chronology
- Develop their understanding of how people’s lives have been shaped by history
- Explore how Britain has influenced and been influenced by history
- Research different historical aspects using a range of resources, e.g. pictures, photographs, artefacts, drawings and people’s testimonies
- Communicate their findings using a wide range of historical vocabulary
At Albion we consistently promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development helping them to have a greater understanding of their place in the world, as Rotherhithe has its own rich history and the children need to understand it in the context of Britain’s past and the wider context of the global community of which they are present.
Curriculum Implementation
Key stage 1
Pupils develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
Pupils are taught about:
- Changes within living memory.
- Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally such as The Great Fire of London and key aspects of the Victorian Era.
- The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements and reflect the diversity of our community: Walter Tull, Nicola Adams, Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole.
- Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
Key stage 2
Pupils continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
Pupils are taught about:
- Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
- The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain.
- Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
- The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
- Local history studies including The Docks and The Brunel Tunnel
- A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066: looking at the achievements of women in science
- The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Egypt and The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
- Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
- We study Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300A as the non-European society that provides contrasts with British history.
Curriculum Impact
By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study. At Albion, we use summative assessment to determine children’s understanding and inform teachers planning. This is reviewed on a termly basis by the curriculum leader who also carries out regular learning walks, book scrutinies, pupil voice and lesson observations.