At Bowlee Park, our history curriculum provides:

• clear knowledge and understanding of the past which helps pupils understand their present
• knowledge of our own culture and less familiar cultures, increasing cross-cultural awareness and understanding
• a wide range of experiences and activities to excite their long-term interest in the study of history (as an academic and facilitating subject in tertiary education)
• strong links to reading, writing and communication skills

We have planned a history curriculum for all pupils, which develops their understanding of historical significance, evidence, continuity and change, and empathy. History provides an explanation of why things are the way they are today. Our curriculum ensures that pupils develop a desire to understand their ancestry and origins, as well as the origins of their country.

From EYFS onwards, the history curriculum enables children to acquire an understanding of time and of events and historical figures. Young children have very little concept of time, so we have devised a curriculum which starts at events in their own personal history and then moves back time.

We have ensured that our history curriculum is a curriculum of breadth and ambition. Our curriculum delivers the statutory National Curriculum and provides children with opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience of history beyond this through:

• assemblies celebrating key events and historical figures, and anniversaries of national and international importance are shared with children
• trips out of school and visitors in school to give first hand experiences to pupils
• role play, theme and costume days
• Class assemblies re-enacting historical events for an audience
• field work during local history studies to engage pupils in analysis of primary evidence

Our history curriculum is based on key constructs: knowledge, skills, progression and experience. Knowledge, together with skills and opportunities to apply learning, leads to strong progress. Lessons are planned so that there is a carefully sequenced journey through the knowledge and concepts being taught. As a result, our curriculum delivers consistent learning for all children. The objective for each lesson and its link with prior learning is shared with children at the beginning of lessons to reinforce previous learning and show how it will be built upon in future lessons. Knowledge content is repeated and revisited to ensure pupils know more and remember more.

In Key Stage 1, pupils discover how the past was different to their own time and gather information about the changes considering why they have happened.

In Key Stage 2, pupils follow topics in chronological order so that they can develop a sense of time and of how civilizations are inter-connected. The curriculum builds pupils’ understanding of time, chronology, and how the way people live has changed. Historical skills and knowledge build progressively across the key stage.