History
History at High Wycombe Church of England Combined School
At High Wycombe Church of England School we believe the exploration and examination of history supports the development of young historians that think critically about the past to better inform the future, helping our children flourish thereby opening the doors to opportunity
Vision
At High Wycombe Church of England School providing a rich, broad history curriculum is a priority. Our History curriculum is designed to follow a distinct timeline through history to help children develop their sense of chronology, and support them in making meaningful links between periods of study.
It is our aim through teaching History that children will develop a firm understanding of the broad and diverse history the world possesses. To support this, cross-curricular links are made and the connections that come from examining historical sources and thinking critically about past events help to facilitate depth of understanding. The breadth of the History coverage enables all children to learn about events which relate to their own, and others’, backgrounds through local area studies and wider world history content. We believe in the importance of delivering history teaching that cultivates history detectives and encourages children to consider a range of perspectives when discussing historical events, helping to form knowledgeable and understanding citizens.
We seek to enhance the teaching of our History curriculum by offering opportunities for enrichment, through visits to historical sites, places of interest and inviting guest speakers and workshops in to school.
Intent
History teaching at High Wycombe Church of England School has a wide application to everyday life, teaching the children to enjoy learning about the past and to have a better understanding of the society in which they live. It is our intention that children will be able to confidently communicate how aspects of life and society have changed through time.
The aims of teaching history in our school are:
• To inspire pupils’ curiosity to discover more about the past and to develop an understanding that enables them to enjoy all that history has to offer;
• To enable children to know about significant events in British history and to appreciate how things have changed over time;
• To develop a sense of chronology;
• To know and understand how the British system of democratic government has developed and, in so doing, to contribute to a child’s citizenship education;
• To understand how Britain is part of a wider European culture and to study some aspects of European history;
• To have some knowledge and understanding of historical development in the wider world;
• To help children understand society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of their cultural heritage;
• To develop in children the skills of enquiry, investigation, analysis, evaluation, debate, interpretation, problem solving and presentation.
Implementation
To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in history, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. History is taught as part of a termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. At High Wycombe Church of England School, we ensure that history has the same importance given to it as the core subjects, as we feel this is important in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences.
The History curriculum at High Wycombe Church of England School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills and taught in each Key Stage.
When teaching history the teachers should follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced. History teaching focuses on enabling children to think as critically. A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement.
History provides excellent opportunities to enhance the learning of more able pupils through the investigations, analysing sources and writing extending pieces. Children showing extensive aptitude in history will be placed on our schools gifted and talented register. These children will be selected for appropriate enrichment opportunities throughout the year.
Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional history learning outside the classroom. At High Wycombe Church of England School the children have had many opportunities to experience history on educational visits. The children have explored local museums and had visitors into school to share history learning and have hands on experiences.
Impact
Within history, we strive to create a supportive and collaborative ethos for learning by providing investigative and enquiry based learning opportunities. Emphasis is placed on investigative learning opportunities to help children gain a coherent knowledge of understanding of each unit of work covered throughout the school.
Through high quality-first teaching of History taking place, we will see the impact of the subject in different ways through practical and written mediums. Through pupil voice, children will be able to talk about the skills and knowledge they have acquired and we will see children engaged in History lessons and wanting to find out more. Children will complete research independently through projects and homework and to further their own enjoyment about the subject or topic. The work produced will show that a range of topics are being covered, cross curricular links are made where possible and differentiated work is set as appropriate. The school environment will be history rich through displays, resources, vocabulary etc.
As historians, children will learn lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their lives in the future. Assessments and monitoring will show standards in History will be high and will match standards in other subject areas.