History

At Skelton Primary, we believe that fostering a rich understanding of local and global history is essential in developing self-identity. We look back to explore how ancient civilisations have shaped the world and different cultures and examine significant events and eras in British history. This knowledge allows children to appreciate how a democratic and multi-cultural Britain evolved whilst developing a deep understanding of chronology.

By developing the skills of enquiry, chronological knowledge, historical knowledge and interpretation, we aim to enable children to think and learn as historians. We place emphasis on providing children with first-hand experiences through learning visits to historical sites and providing access to historical artefacts. We focus on helping children understand that historical events can be interpreted in different ways and children are encouraged to ask searching questions. By learning the skills to uncover the past, we believe children will be able to make informed choices for the future.

In Early Years children will develop knowledge of and talk about the lives of people around them and the roles they play in society. They will know some similarities and differences between things in the past and present, thinking about their own experiences and what has been read to them. Children will understand the past through stories and events in books through storytelling.

In Key Stage 1 children will develop an awareness of the past. They will learn about significant individuals who have contributed to national and international achievements. Children will also learn about significant historical events within the local area. They will also study changes within living memory as well as events beyond living memory that are nationally or globally significant such as The Great Fire of London. Their learning will be placed within a chronological framework.

In Key Stage 2 children will continue to appreciate history in a chronological context. They will develop a secure understanding of British, local and world history. In upper key stage 2 they will study the Ancient Maya and the Victorians, whilst in lower key stage 2 they will study the Georgian’s and Anglo-Saxons.  Children will consider connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They will also learn to understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of different sources and spend time looking at, and dealing with, different sources.

Progression in History will be assessed through listening to children’s responses and contributions to discussions and evaluating their written work. Please click on the links below for more details about our History curriculum.

History National Curriculum