History Curriculum

 

The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.

Theodore Roosevelt

Intent

Here at Swinderby All Saints, our History curriculum is carefully planned to develop confident and competent historians. It seeks to allow our children to make connections between periods of time, develop a clear understanding of chronology, change over time and understand the causes and consequences of actions. Our curriculum allows our children the opportunities to recall significant events and people in our locality and beyond, show empathy for those living at the time and understand abstract historical concepts such as ‘civilisation’ and ‘empire’.

 

By revisiting areas and building on prior knowledge the children will know more, so that they understand more and can therefore do more. Our History learning will develop both the children’s topic-specific knowledge and also their generic, process knowledge and historical skills - which apply to all areas of History. Examples include: how to critically analyse evidence and judge its reliability and relevance, how to interpret trends, how to understand historical interpretations and bias and how to communicate historical information.

 

 

Implementation

 

Before Learning

 

• The children’s existing topic knowledge will be assessed and considered. Planned learning will be closely based on what the children already know and what they are curious about.
• At the start of each new topic, initial lessons will introduce the subject. This will allow children to quickly accrue a basic knowledge of the subject, give them the opportunity to develop curiosity in the subject and pose questions they want to find the answer to.
• Knowledge organisers will be used in each topic. These will include the key facts and vocabulary which are essential for every child to know. These will be referred to throughout the topic.

 

During Learning

 

• Each topic is launched through a memorable and exciting experience that engages learners and sets the foundations for the learning to come.
• Technical vocabulary for the topic will be explicitly taught prior to learning in which it is needed.
• At the beginning, and throughout the topic, children will consider how the History that they are learning fits with (and follows on from) what they already know.
• Subject progression through different year groups will be planned for by teachers; will be appropriately experienced by children and will be evident in books.
• All History topics will include lessons which involve historical enquiry and investigation; where historical skills are explicitly taught, referred to and explored.
• Children will be encouraged to be curious, phrase their own historical questions and follow their own lines of enquiry.
• Our History curriculum has been carefully chosen to reflect local history eg The Romans, World War 2 (RAF Swinderby) and Lincoln and Newark Castles.
• Children will experience input from expert visitors, take part in fieldwork, go on school trips and have outdoor opportunities to develop knowledge.
• Children will have regular opportunities to carry out extended writing in History.
• Children will have regular opportunities to research, carry out field investigations and visit sites of historical importance to give them the experience of ‘being’ a historian.

 

We follow the national curriculum for History. Teaching and learning of History focuses both on historical knowledge and historical process knowledge and skills. Children are taught a range of History topics throughout their time at school giving them a broad understanding of the many periods of History.

 

A link to the national curriculum for History can be found here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study

 

We have a rolling cycle of topics which are set out in our History Curriculum Maps below. In addition to this, our overall History Coverage Overview details the progression of history skills through school.

 

Impact:

 

We will monitor the impact of children’s learning through:

 

• Reflection and evaluation of learning against the National Curriculum objectives as detailed in our History Coverage Overview.
• Tracking pupil knowledge through formative and summative assessments.
• Observations of lessons by SLT and subject leaders.
• Discussions with children.
• Monitoring books.
• Observing the children develop skills that they use outside of school.

	History Curriculum Overview 2025 to 2027	[pdf 562KB]
	History Policy March 2026	[pdf 282KB]
	SEND Adaptations for History	[pdf 225KB]