History

The History Subject co-ordinator is Miss O'Rourke

West Bank is steeped in History; it was at the centre of Widnes’ rapidly growing chemical industry and influx of workers from around the world migrated here. As a result of this History, our curriculum is intwined with substantive knowledge about migration.Our history curriculum provides children with an understanding of how local, British and wider world history has shaped their ‘today’. We aim to inspire our pupils’ curiosity and critical thinking to know more about the past; to understand the process of change; and understand their own identity. We hope that this knowledge will help pupils make more informed life choices and aspire to be open-minded citizens who make a valuable contribution to society.

Intent

Our intent is to have a progressive history curriculum structured so that learning is embedded through metacognitive strategies. We aim for children to build upon secure knowledge and skills , with a big focus on vocabulary.

I​mplementation

Our history learning begins in the Early Years where children are given opportunities to improve their understanding of the world: past and present. Children learn about the lives of people around them and their roles in society. They explore similarities and differences between things in the past and things now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read to them and understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and story telling.

In KS1, we have mapped a curriculum that will enable pupils to further develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing time. They will begin to develop an understanding of where and when the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework. Children in Year1 have engaged family members and people from the local community in this.

Children in Key Stage 2 are in mixed-aged classes which can change year upon-year. There have a huge focus on the progression of skills needed to be a good historian as well as the knowledge. The history curriculum at Key Stage 2 gives pupils a solid foundation and broad overview in some of the most important periods, events and themes in British and world history. While studying these periods children focus on disciplinary concepts: change and continuity; cause and consequences; historical significance; sources of evidence and historical interpretation. Many subjects throughout KS2 are linked back to the substantive concept of invasion and migration. When looking at local area studies, KS2 look at the migration of people to West Bank during the growth of the chemical industry.

Impact

Children can draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives – how has history shaped their ‘today’? Interlinked with this are studies of world history and their local area.

As historians, children will learn lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their lives in the future.

Historical enquiry

Posing a historical question

Gathering, organising and evaluating evidence

Interpreting findings, analysing and making connections

Evaluating and drawing conclusions Communicating findings

Chronological Understanding

Beginning to develop a chronologically secure knowledge of local, British and world history.

Placing a time studied on a timeline.

Using dates and terms related to the unit and passing of time.

Noticing connections over a period of time.

Retaining Knowledge and Skills

Children are given knowledge organisers at the start of every topic which they can refer back to throughout the year.

Children are encouraged to complete metacognition tasks in order to help them remember information – creating sticky knowledge to build upon.

Children are presented with quizzes throughout topics.

KS2 children have double page spread books with which they are able to annotated and illustrate everything they have learned by the end of a topic. This books stays with them throughout their entire KS2 journey and used to refer back to.

Key vocabulary is displayed on wall displays in order for children to refer to when learning.