Our Mission Statements
Intent
At Latchford St James, the teaching of History forms an integral part of the curriculum. We believe History lessons should be both enjoyable and informative. Through quality teaching and learning we intend for children to become historians, developing skills that not only benefit them in the study of history, but skills that can be transferred to other subjects and areas of life.
We believe the study of history through enquiry-based learning inspires children’s curiosity, encourages them to ask critical questions and enables them to have a better understanding of the society in which they live and the wider world around them.
Through this approach we aim to ensure children have:
- An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including both British history and world history.
- The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently to a range of audiences.
- The ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources
- The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past by asking their own enquiry questions and searching for answers.
- A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their learning.
- A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.
- A developing sense of curiosity about the past and how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
Implementation
Through our history curriculum, children will learn and develop the historical skills that will allow them to understand important eras in British and world history in a clear and chronological narrative; studying important eras in time, learning about significant events, people and places and considering the impacts they had on our lives today.
In KS1, children will consider history within living memory and modern history; how life has changed for people in Warrington and around the world and the events and people who have caused these changes.
KS2 children will learn about British and world history in a much wider chronological narrative, starting with some of the earliest British and world civilisations and working their way through significant places, events and people up to, and including, World War I and II. All the while they will be learning and practising the skills to make sense of and develop a deeper understanding of the history they are studying.
The teaching of History at Latchford St James begins with assessments of children’s prior knowledge, in order to build lines of historical enquiry appropriately. From these assessments, enquiry questions posed at the beginning of topics and subsequent lessons allow children to discover answers to questions that are relevant to them while still covering the key historical knowledge needed in the study of these topics. Children will explore the answers to these questions through a range of historical sources and school visits after which they will be able to present their findings in a variety of different ways. Throughout history topics, children will be introduced to subject specific vocabulary and will become comfortable and confident using this language when presenting their findings.
To ensure the knowledge learned at Latchford St James stays with children as they move further up the school and into their next phases of learning, children are also equipped with child led knowledge organisers to record what they deem to be key facts, important dates and any subject specific vocabulary at the end of lessons. This coupled with repetition of significant information throughout topics will ensure children retain the knowledge learned in history lessons at Latchford St James
Impact
The impact of the teaching of History at Latchford St James, is that through our enquiry-based curriculum and the progression of skills developed throughout the school years, children will nurture an enjoyment of the study of history and will gradually gain and develop the skills to become independent learners.
This will be measured through end of lesson pupil assessments, end of topic teacher assessments, learning walks, discussion around work in books and conversations with pupils, all of which are intended to help teachers support all children’s progression and enjoyment of History all across the school.
HISTORY TOPICS
Below you will find Knowledge organisers that link to all the topics the children will learn about during their history lessons. The Knowledge organisers are designed to be referred to for dates and vocabulary and added to with all the knowledge the children learn during their topic.
