History

Intent

At St. James, we use Kapow Primary's History Scheme as the basis for our lessons. Its aim is to inspire pupils to become curious and creative thinkers who develop a deep understanding of local and national history, as well as the history of the wider world. We want pupils to gain the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and explain and analyse historical evidence. Our goal is to expose children to a diverse range of societies, fostering empathy and an appreciation for the complexity of people's lives. These skills are taught through various time periods and concepts to develop a stronger sense of chronology. All of this contributes to children becoming inquisitive historians.

Implem

The Kapow Primary History Scheme, used at St. James across KS1 and KS2 units, is organised around inquiry-based questions. Children are encouraged to follow the inquiry cycle (Question, Investigate, Interpret, Evaluate, and Conclude, Communicate) when addressing historical questions. Over the course of the scheme, children develop their understanding of the following key disciplinary concepts:

• Change and continuity
• Cause and consequence
• Similarities and differences
• Historical significance
• Historical interpretations
• Sources of evidence

These concepts will be encountered in various contexts during the study of local, British, and world history. In EYFS, children explore the concept of history by reflecting on key experiences from their own past, helping them understand that they each have their own histories. Then, they engage in activities to compare and contrast characters from stories, including historical figures, deepening their understanding of how individual lives fit into broader historical narratives. St. James' spiral curriculum ensures that these themes and concepts are revisited and embedded in other subjects such as English and Art and Design. We also enrich children's experiences through organised workshops and school trips to bring History to life.

Impact

The expected impact of following the Kapow History scheme of work is that children will:

• Know and understand the history of Britain, how people's lives have shaped this nation, and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
• Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, non-European societies, and the achievements of mankind.
• Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts such as power, invasion, settlement and migration, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of mankind, and society.
• Form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.
• Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions, and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.
• Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.
• Ask historically-valid questions through an inquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts.
• Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.
• Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.
• Meet the relevant Early Learning Goals at the end of EYFS (Reception) and the end-of-key-stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for History at the end of Key stages 1 and 2.