Intent

 At Beechwood, we want our pupils to think for themselves and care for others. Through our history teaching, we want  to think independently: using artefacts, photographs and secondary sources to think critically about historical events and people. Through our broad range of history topics, pupils will be able to use learning from the past to help create a bright, caring future. 

Implementation

From EYFS, up to Year 6, your child will be taught the essential knowledge and skills taken from the Early Years Framework 2021 and the National Curriculum 2014. Our well-planned journey through the History curriculum helps our pupils to build upon their prior learning and apply past knowledge to new situations; we are passionate about ensuring that our children’s learning transfers to their long-term memory. To ensure that this happens we constantly revisit concepts and themes both within year groups and subjects and across year groups and different subjects where applicable.
Throughout their time at Beechwood, children receive a high-quality history curriculum which inspires a curiosity and fascination about Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Pupils are encouraged to apply their prior learning to consider how the past influences the present, what life was like in the past, how these societies were ruled, and question significant people’s actions. As they do this, children develop a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. Our carefully planned curriculum means that children are able to make links between different time periods, significant people and ancient civilisations, constantly making comparisons between the past and their own lives.

At the beginning of each topic, through our defining in context maps and use of timelines, children are able to convey what they know already as well as what they would like to find out. We want our children to enjoy and love learning about history by gaining this knowledge, skills and their sense of chronology, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of artefacts and educational visits. Pupils have opportunities to build, master, and deepen their knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world as well as the contribution that other cultures have made towards life in modern day Britain. We recognise that our town and locality are a vital resource to inspire pupils’ curiosity and to celebrate their own heritages. As soon as begin their journey at Beechwood, they are encouraged to explore history both on a local and global scale, by looking at the significant contributions of key individuals as well as the impact of influential groups of people and whole civilisations. Lessons are taught to encourage the children to question and think like a historian, to use a range of historical sources to support their learning and include immersive experiences that inspire our children to recognise the impact of these pioneers of the past in order to become pioneers of the future.

Impact

All history lessons begin with a recap of prior knowledge, enabling the children to recall information, key vocabulary and concepts taught in previous lessons. At Beechwood, we believe this to be a key aspect of learning which enables our pupils to retain prior knowledge and deepen their understanding of history. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills for each topic and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge and skills build progressively. History draws on a vast range of vocabulary to identify and name time periods, as well as key concepts within them. Such core knowledge provides the building blocks of deeper explanation and understanding; therefore, we have a key focus on the vocabulary throughout each topic.