Lowton West Primary SchoolHistory
History Curriculum Statement
Aiming High Together
History helps children understand how the past has shaped the world they live in today. Through the study of significant people, events and civilisations, pupils develop a strong sense of chronology, learn to think critically and make connections across different periods of history.
At Lowton West Primary School, we aim to stimulate the children’s interest, curiosity and understanding about the past. Through the history curriculum, pupils will gain a knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world and understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today.
We use the National Curriculum Programmes of study to guide us on the content and focus of each objective to inform our curriculum. These units are enriched by cross curriculum work when appropriate. We also encourage a project based approach to learning with an emphasis on people and community in our local area. Children as Historians learn through enquiry based learning opportunities to gain a greater understanding of our local area.
Visits and visitors to school are promoted, to enrich our history curriculum and further deepen that historical enquiry, through the use of questioning and listening to eye witness accounts and experiences.
Our history curriculum is built around the recurring themes of settlement, monarchy, legacy, invasion and migration, which are revisited throughout KS1 and KS2. These themes enable children to recognise patterns across time and deepen their understanding as they progress through the curriculum.
Pupils explore history through the key disciplinary concepts of:
- Continuity and change – understanding what has changed and what has remained the same over time.
- Cause and consequence – examining why events happened and their impact on people and societies.
- Similarity and difference – comparing experiences, beliefs and ways of life across different periods.
- Significance – considering why certain people, events and achievements are remembered.
Through engaging enquiries and the use of a range of historical sources, children learn to question, investigate and interpret the past while developing the skills of a historian.
Through this progressive curriculum, children leave our school with a secure understanding of Britain's past and the wider world, an appreciation of how history shapes society today, and the confidence to think critically about evidence, interpretations and change over time.