At Titchfield Primary School, our learning values- STRIVE- are embedded into our History curriculum and children are given opportunities within each History project to demonstrate each one to help them develop into the best historian that they can be.

We use ‘The World’ statements in Early Years Development Matters and the History National Curriculum to structure the content of our History curriculum projects. History is an exciting area of the curriculum because it allows our children to understand our past, which in turn allows them to understand our present. Our teaching intentions are to establish and develop knowledge, develop historical skills and equip children with the vocabulary in which they can achieve well in the subject

Each History project will be a learning journey starting with an engaging hook, which gives the purpose for the outcome. An example of an outcome would be the children creating an Egyptian museum for the local history society who visited the children at the start of the project to inspire them to undertake research into the Egyptians. By having a purposeful outcome with an audience, it engages the children further with their history learning.

At Titchfield Primary we plan our History projects carefully which give children the essential characteristics to help them become historians. We believe that children should be active historians. We ensure children have access to artefacts and different sources to explore. We work closely with the Local Authority’s History resource centre to borrow different artefact boxes which have an array of resources to engage the children with their learning. One of the most vital skills we teach the children is to question as this enables them to deepen their understanding. We teach the children how to investigate a source or artefact, whether it is a real or a copy, what time period it came from, how it was made etc. These questions the children come up with can underpin their history learning. We use these questioning skills to help the children access different activities. The children learn how to use inference grids, constructions relays and diamond 9’s. These activities deepen the children’s history knowledge while allowing them to practise different historical skills. The children are encouraged to use their understanding of change and continuity, similarity and difference, chronology and significance, to interpret events and developments.

The content of the History curriculum is planned so that children develop key historical concepts such as chronology and cause and effect through their time at Titchfield Primary. In Year R the children begin to reflect on their own personal history including significant events in their lives such as birthdays and growing up. In KS1 the children explore significant people from the past and events of national significance such as the Great Fire of London and sinking of the Titanic which started its journey from nearby Southampton. When the children enter KS2 they develop their knowledge of British History in a chronological way starting with the Stone Age and move throughout historical periods until they pull all of their skills together by studying crime and punishment post 1066 in Year 6. Alongside this, the children also explore ancient civilisations including Egypt, Greece and Maya.

Other areas of the curriculum are also utilised to support children’s knowledge and understanding of History. History will form the focus for writing projects and guided reading activities. 

Teachers assess children’s learning in each History project using assessment criteria developed by the subject leader, which they also use to evaluate how far the curriculum planned is enabling children to have high quality outcomes. The subject leader will also monitor standards in the subject.

On leaving Titchfield Primary we want children to have a secure historic knowledge as well as an understanding of the key historical skills and see History as exciting and interesting!