Fairlop Primary School

History Curriculum Documents
History Curriculum Overview
History unit summary and links
History Intent, Implementation and Impact
Curriculum Policy

History at Fairlop
At Fairlop Primary School, we aim to deliver an engaging history curriculum, which promotes historical enquiry skills and follows the requirements and expectations of the National Curriculum. Children are taught to understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and to consider a range of sources.  Children learn through stories, eyewitness accounts, artefacts, role-play, technology and educational visits. Throughout their studies, children are encouraged to ask questions and to research the answers using a range of sources to develop their own curiosity about the past.  Children place the significant people and events which they study within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.

The use of timelines in the classroom and around school helps the children embed their understanding of the order of historical events. Learning is enhanced through educational visits and guest speakers to the school who can add another dimension to learning within a history unit.

Throughout their studies, children develop a wide vocabulary of historical terms and knowledge about certain historical events. They will construct informed responses that involve the selection of relevant historical information and will establish clear narratives within and across the periods they study. Children will discuss their ideas and opinions and use the knowledge they have gained to support their view. Planning is supported by the Rising Stars History scheme of work. Teachers make a teacher assessment of progress towards the end of key stage national curriculum expectations at the end of each academic year. Throughout the year, the subject lead will monitor the history provision (e.g., through work scrutiny and pupil voice) and standards at the end of each key stage are monitored annually.

Curriculum Links
Where relevant, the history curriculum has been planned in line with the content of other curriculum subjects. The history knowledge, skills and concepts children acquire across the school are then applied to their cross-curricular topics, allowing children to use their history skills to reflect on and explore curriculum content in greater depth. 

Outcomes
History folders are provided for each child and will progress through the years with them. The folders will show a progression of historical knowledge and skills. Where relevant, historical texts and written pieces will be combined with English lessons. This is to deepen children’s knowledge in order that they are able to confidently apply their skills across the curriculum and the high-quality writing outcomes produced by pupils in their literacy work are mirrored in their historical writing. In many cases, art and design / design and technology work is also linked to the history units, allowing children to apply their historical knowledge in creative ways e.g., by designing and making a Viking brooch or a Stuart building.

History work is displayed in classrooms and across the school to celebrate and inspire historical knowledge and understanding. The children’s historical skills are applied in an independent research project in Year 6 where children can choose how they present their knowledge and understanding.