St. Andrew's
Church of England Primary School
'With Faith, Hope and Love we can achieve greater things'
St Andrew's - a Good Samaritan School (Luke 10: 25-37). Making a difference so all can flourish.
Subjects - History
Subject Definition
History is where we learn about the past. It includes the study of people from the past, past events, significant places and an appreciation of our own place within it. Historians do this by examining a range of sources to evaluate the past and build an understanding of it.
At St Andrew’s School, we aim to provide an engaging history curriculum which is memorable and stimulating for all pupils. We believe that the skills that pupils develop within this subject will encourage them to make more reasoned and informed decisions throughout their lives. We strive for history to be an enjoyable subject for all pupils which engages and matures their minds to the world around them and promotes questioning as a stepping stone to knowledge. As well as an improved understanding of established historical facts, pupils will develop their critical thinking skills as part of their life skill toolkit. They will be encouraged to consider themselves historians when developing a range of skills and disciplines:
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Chronology Skills
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Research Skills
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Source Analysis Skills
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Comprehension Skills
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Enquiry Skills
During the school year, pupils in every year group will be engaged with visits, trips, memorable experiences and specialist visitors coming into school to help enhance their learning. Pupils will always be encouraged to share their own thoughts, personal experiences, cultural backgrounds and their own understanding of history. At St Andrew’s School, we respect, share and celebrate the history of all people.
Useful Websites
Here you can find lots of short, informative videos about the history topics found across our KS1 and KS2 curriculums. Suitable for both KS1 and KS2 children.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z7svr82
Click here to play games, watch clips or even entire episodes from the incredibly popular Horrible Histories TV series. More suitable for KS2 but still KS1 appropriate.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/horrible-histories
Wider periods of history can be explored here with regular updates of popular, current and topical history topics. More suitable for KS2 children.
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/category/discover/history/
Games, video clips and lots of information can be found here on a range of history topics. Just remember to select KS1 or KS2 in the age group option. KS1 children will likely need help navigating around the site.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=13
Intent
We aim for history at St Andrew’s to be an enjoyable subject for all pupils. The study of history should engage and mature the minds of pupils to the world around them and to what can be learnt from the past. It should promote questioning as a stepping stone to knowledge. We aim to provide an engaging curriculum, memorable and stimulating for all pupils, delivered through quality first teaching supported by inspiring visits and experiences. We have carefully chosen a variety of exciting topics which meet the requirements of the National Curriculum.
Local History
As part of the St Andrew’s Curriculum, local history is celebrated in a number of our topics. For example, in year 6, pupils investigate why there are so few Tudor buildings left in Wolverhampton. In year 5, pupils find out the history a local Victorian monument, and in year 4, Lady Wulfruna’s capture at the hands of Vikings brings our Traders and Raiders topic to the heart of our city.
Implementation
Alongside good subject knowledge, children will work on developing their understanding of history through core skills in three distinct areas:
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Chronology
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Research and Source Analysis
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Comprehension and Enquiry
Years 1 and 2 – Skills Progression
Years 3 and 4 – Skills Progression
Years 5 and 6 – Skills Progression
Good Historical Questions to Ask:
Key Stage 1
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When did it happen?
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How did it happen?
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Who was this person?
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What is this item?
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What was this used for?
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What can we find out about these people?
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How is the past different to the present?
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What questions can we ask ourselves?
Key Stage 2
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What does this source tell us?
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How much can we trust this source?
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Whose viewpoint is this source from?
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What other viewpoints are there?
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Is this a primary or a secondary source?
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What evidence can I find?
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How has history changed over time?
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Where can I find out more information?
Children learning about history through artefacts and memorable experiences.
Impact
Children at St Andrew’s enjoy history and show clear enthusiasm for their history based topics. They love the opportunity to explore the past and compare it to their modern day lives. Pupils deepen their subject knowledge and develop their enquiry skills as they progress through the Key Stages.
“I enjoy studying history at St Andrew’s because I’m always encouraged to think for myself and use evidence to support my ideas.” – Layla Y6
“I love learning about the history of lots of different countries and famous people. I also like the ‘horrible’ bits of history too.” – Muaaz Y6
“I like to investigate the past (particularly different countries and cultures).” – Mohamed Y6
“I love exploring the mysteries in history that historians haven’t solved yet. I was really interested in the story of Anne Frank in our WW2 topic. It was great when we got to use sources to investigate who really betrayed her family to the Nazis.” – Ekroop Y6
“I love learning about the past and my teacher makes it really fun although she was super strict with us on our
Victorian school day. I’m glad our teachers are much nicer than Victorian teachers.” – Rafael Y5
“I really like finding out things about British history and then writing about it in my topic book.” – Atif Y4
“I love our special history days. Dressing up like a Roman soldier made history feel real.” – Yuvraj Y3
“History is COOL! I loved learning about castles with my teacher.” – Ljai Y2
“I liked touching the fossils. Dinosaurs lived a long time ago but then an asteroid came.” – Eliezer Y1
Some of our Historians at Work
