History
History
Intent
Guston CEP School’s History scheme of work is designed to inspire curiosity and creativity in pupils while developing a deep understanding of local, national, and global history. It encourages critical thinking, questioning, and analysis of historical evidence. The curriculum emphasises significant events and individuals, changes over time, and the complexity and diversity of societies. Where relevant, it uses and celebrates Dover’s rich history. It aims to foster empathy and learning from past mistakes. Pupils build chronological understanding and learn how historians construct accounts. Key historical concepts such as power, empire, migration, and culture are introduced. The scheme aligns with the National Curriculum and supports Early Years development, laying a strong foundation for future history learning.
Implementation
At Guston CEP School we ensure teachers are well equipped to engage pupils in their learning ensuring that historical knowledge and concepts are taught in a progressive manner, building on prior learning. This includes exposing pupils to a wide variety of historical sources, including the rich local area of Dover and all its historical sites, or engaging with historical artefacts and primary sources in the classroom.
Over the course of the scheme, children develop their understanding of the following key disciplinary concepts:
- Change and continuity
- Cause and consequence
- Similarities and differences
- Historical significance
- Interpretations
- Sources of evidence
These are explored across local, British, and world history, allowing pupils to develop and apply historical skills.
The scheme follows the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. For example, children progress by developing their knowledge and understanding of substantive and disciplinary concepts by experiencing them in a range of historical contexts and periods.
Impact
The expected impact of following scheme of work is that children will:
- Know and understand the history of Britain, how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
- Develop an understanding of the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, non-European societies and the achievements of mankind.
- Develop a historically-grounded understanding of substantive concepts - power, invasion, settlement and migration, civilisation, religion, trade, achievements of mankind and society.
- Form historical arguments based on cause and effect, consequence, continuity and change, similarity and differences.
- Have an appreciation for significant individuals, inventions and events that impact our world both in history and from the present day.
- Understand how historians learn about the past and construct accounts.
- Ask historically-valid questions through an enquiry-based approach to learning to create structured accounts.
- Explain how and why interpretations of the past have been constructed using evidence.
- Make connections between historical concepts and timescales.
- Meet the relevant Early Learning Goals at the end of EYFS (Reception) and the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for History at the end of Key stage 1 and 2.
Assessment in history plays an integral part to the teaching process, allowing teachers to identify pupils’ strengths and areas for development. Formative assessment will be used to inform future planning and ensure pupils are building on their understanding as they progress through the curriculum.