Lead: Bethany Hession
Curriculum Intent
At Blackgates Academy we offer children a high-quality history curriculum giving them a chronological and coherent understanding of Britain’s past and present and that of the wider world.
In KS1 children will begin our studies in the autumn term with an aspect of life in Britain that is in their own locality and they can relate to: history within our local area will include the elements of history that are represented in and around Tingley and how these influences have changed over time, for example the Victorian era. Giving children something they can relate to, gives them a better understanding of the process of change over time. As children move into year 3 they study the influences on the wider area: Yorkshire. During this topic children are encouraged to think critically and use evidence to examine how invaders and settlers have influenced our lives today.
During autumn 2 term – ‘what makes a human super?’ year 2 children will learn about heroic people from the past, their focus will be on Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, two inspirational figures who spent their lives helping others. This will link with real life heroes and people who work in the emergency services as we want all children to have a sound understanding of how to look after themselves and stay safe. Progressing into year 3, children will continue to look at significant individuals, this time focussing on Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks. Studying their lives will help children gain an understanding of their diverse background and even though they faced lots of challenges, they continued to fight for their beliefs showing perseverance and resilience. Year 5 will then study the Ancient Greeks – in particular, the Olympic games. Investigating the history of the Olympics and how it came about, including looking at athletes past and present and their resilience and competitive nature. In year 6 children will learn about power, democracy and the monarchy. Here abstract terms will be understood and links will be made back to the earliest invaders and settlers. They will learn how the earliest rulers controlled both areas and people, how they made decisions, and link this knowledge of the past with how our country is ruled in modern day Britain.
In Spring 1 all children will study one of the seven wonders of the world. This will show the children how diverse our world is and what there is to explore. Year 3 will look at the ancient monuments the pyramids, and study in depth the ancient Egyptian civilisation. Children will study the evidence we have of this time period and how these findings play an integral part in teaching us what we know about these ancient empires. Studying and enquiring about the coliseum, year 4 will begin their learning journey on the Romans. Here they will look at how the Roman Empire invaded Britain and link this to their existing knowledge of invaders and settlers to explain how and why the invasion happened. They will also understand the impact the Roman Empire had on modern day Britain.
During our invention topic in summer 1 children will develop their knowledge of inventions. In year 2 we begin with the earliest inventors from the stone age. Here children will use evidence to describe the tools that were made and the materials used. Justifying their reasons for why certain materials were used through their knowledge of what life was like at the time. Moving into year 3 children will look at famous historic inventions such as the lightbulb and telephone – essential items we use in our lives today. Year 4 will continue to build on this knowledge and focus on the importance of vaccines and medical inventions. Year 5 will be comparing the knowledge learnt in year 3 with modern inventions – looking at how objects have changed over time and justifying these changes compared to the lives people lead now and how much more people and businesses rely on modern technology. In year 6 children will be studying an aspect of history beyond 1066 – throughout this topic children will look at the inventions that changed the course of WW11 such as the Morse code.
In the Summer 2 term learning for all children will be focussed on life outside of Tingley, in particular a seaside town. Year 1 begin this learning journey by looking at holidays; where they go on holiday, the activities they do and if this has changed within living memory. Building on their Victorian knowledge learned in year 2, year 3 children will focus on the history of the seaside holiday, they will examine evidence in order to gain a historical perspective of what a seaside holiday used to be like.
Wherever possible our history curriculum is enhanced by trips and visitors, as these bring the past alive to our children and offer many experiences our children have not had access to.
At Blackgates Primary Academy the children learn through a concept-based curriculum allowing them to learn beyond solely the topic facts. Concepts or ‘big ideas’ allow children to make connections between their learning and in turn gain a deeper understanding allowing them to make sense of the facts and the world around them. As part of our conceptual curriculum we involve the use of specific key questions which focus upon factual, conceptual and debatable content. Concepts are returned to throughout the year groups to ensure children have a clear understanding of them and enabling them to be held within their long-term memory.
Below are the concepts that the children at Blackgates Primary Academy focus upon in history:
Our progressive vocabulary ladder identifies key vocabulary to be taught from EYFS to year 6. These words are part of a whole host of work aimed at narrowing the vocabulary gap for our children. As a school we aim to expose all children to a broad range of vocabulary and provide them with the skills to use and apply these. It is important that vocabulary is shared and understood with pupils. The golden threads allow vocabulary to be identified that is specific to the learning in a topic. Each time the thread is revisited, pupils will build on this existing vocabulary knowledge. There should be clear vocabulary progression, so our pupils are developing their knowledge and understanding, rather than repeating the same vocabulary every year. Vocabulary needs to be taught and our pupils need to have a clear understanding of what the words mean and how to use it within context.
