History

Aims of the National Curriculum

Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world

Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind

Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’

Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses

Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed History – key stages 1 and 2

Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales

OUR STATEMENT OF INTENT

At Chillingham Road children learn History so they can find out about the past, from ancient times right up until the present day, to understand where they fit into the world.

Our youngest children learn how they have grown and changed since they were born. For all our children history provides an explanation of why things are the way they are and an understanding that change comes with the passing of time.

Through the study of different historical figures, periods and themes children begin to realise that contributions from different civilisations have impacted on and shaped our cities, our country and the wider world. They understand how settlements, cultures and societies began and have evolved. They can appreciate how interwoven these have become over time.

Through History children gain many skills: they learn how to ask questions and how to use primary and secondary sources to find the answers; they develop historical vocabulary; they learn to research effectively; they become aware that stories of the same event may be different; they develop a chronological framework. History also tells great stories, it teaches about art, invention, music, courage, mystery. At its best the teaching of history can be entertaining, enlightening, bringing knowledge through enquiry.

It is through the development of historical thinking that children can fully comprehend the idea of change and appreciate a nation’s sense of identity. Knowing about the past helps us all to understand the present. To see life through another perspective enriches our understanding of our own lives. Whilst studying certain parts of history will provoke a wide range of emotion, we do not want our children to be fearful Chillizens- Marie Curie (1867-1934)- the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize summed this up best:

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

history chilli road.pdf

IMPLEMENTATION

Our whole school curriculum is organised so that every child from Playgroup to Year 6 experiences two History focused enquiry topics each academic year. Therefore, children from Reception to Year 6 will have exercised their skills as Historians during 14 topics.

Year Group	Historical Enquiry 1	Historical Enquiry 2
Playgroup	Who is in your family photo?	Which stories can we bring to life?
Nursery	Why am I special and who is special to me?	What would you find in the big top and where might the circus lead you?
Reception	Which characters from our stories live inside a castle?	What is a fossil and where does it come from?
Year 1	What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography?	How have inventors from the North East changed the world of transport?
Year 2	What was it like to be a Chillizen before I was born?	What did some humans like you do to change the world?
Year 3	Are you Stone Age savvy or Iron Age intelligent?	What did the Romans do for us?
Year 4	How have the Ancient Greeks influenced our lives today?	Are all English people immigrants? A study of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings as invaders and settlers RE- focus on Northern Saints
Year 5	Was the Victorian era a golden age for our local area?	How did one Islamic city unlock so much wisdom for the world to benefit from?
Year 6	How has conflict changed over time?	How did we get hold of Ancient Egyptian artefacts and what do they teach us about their early civilisation?

history overview chillingham road primary.pdf

history policy.pdf

IMPACT

When our children leave Year 6 they will be able to understand and explain key events in modern history- especially related to Britain. Children will build a sense of who they are and why we are the way we are as a nation. They will understand how events in the past have shaped and made the present. Our children will be able to analyse history and use the following disciplinary skills:

Interpretation
Investigation
Chronological understanding
Knowledge and understanding of events
Knowledge of people and changes in the past
Presenting, organising and communicating information and ideas.

Whilst developing a love for history, our children will become aware of the history of our school’s former pupils and begin to compare their current experience of education to those of pupils from the end of the Victorian era and throughout the twentieth century. Through our school curriculum and special events such as heritage open days and Armistice day, our children will venture out from our school into the local area and beyond.

Through these many experiences, our Chillizens will examine evidence and artefacts-to ascertain if evidence is reliable and what they may learn from it. Our children will know lots of facts and many real stories behind those facts. Our literature spine includes a wide range of historical fiction and many key texts are integrated into English reading and writing lessons that supplement our history curriculum.

Our children will have many opportunities to touch history and experience the legacy of empires, inventors, heroines and heroes. Our children will experience an emotional historical curriculum and hear of hardships and discern what many saw as a golden age to the brutal reality of those on the coal face of industrialisation such as Lizzie Dowson. They will hear the stories and accounts of a wide range of key but less known historical figures from the north –east such as Grace Darling to Dashrath Manjhi, also known as the Mountain Man, who was a labourer in Gehlaur village, near Gaya in Bihar, India. As a diverse school, we celebrate everyone’s place in history

By the end of their primary education at Chillingham Road, our Chillizens will have gained a rich and deep body of historical knowledge and a wide range of transferable skills they can apply to other subjects, contexts, and challenges; they will be ready to thrive at secondary school and beyond.

Every September, we open our doors and archives to members of the public who often include our past pupils and Chillizens.

"Loved seeing the registers and meeting up with old friends with the same interest in their history."