A welcoming community, growing and learning together.

Intent 

Through our History curriculum, children will gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world through studying key periods, events and people, from the time of the earliest people to the present day. They will learn to make connections, to embed key concepts and vocabulary as well as exploring some aspects in more depth. They will: 

• Increase and develop their historical skills, concepts, knowledge and attitudes. 


• Increase their understanding of the present in the context of the past. (What can we learn from the past?) 

• Develop and use their skills in enquiry, analysis, evaluation, and argument. 


• Develop their interest in the past, arousing their curiosity and motivation to learn. 


• Develop a sense of identity through learning about the past.  

Implementation 

Children in Year 1-6 learn History though a carefully planned curriculum with topics exploring diverse aspects of the world and its people. Topics are chosen because they build cultural capital, prepare them for the world of the future, excite and enthuse them. We explore the richness of our local history too. 

Children in our Early Years learn about the world around them through the EYFS curriculum, especially through the strand of Understanding the World. 

Units are taught over a half-term with once-weekly lessons 

Our use of recall grids ensures that children build on their prior learning, embed key ideas and vocabulary  so that they learn more, know more and remember more. 

Impact 

‘Leaders’ work to improve history and geography… plans has been positive. These are ambitious and identify what pupils should learn.’ Ofsted January 2020 

We know our children are learning and making progress in History when: 

• The curriculum is implemented effectively 


• Learning in their books is purposeful, varied, clear and of a high quality 


• They can demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts such as civilisation, legacy and chronology. 


• They can make comparisons and connections – across periods of time, between people and events. 


• They know and can use relevant vocabulary. 


• They are able to think like a Historian –examining sources, asking questions, exploring different perspectives and learning from the past. 

Our monitoring of the History curriculum shows that children have a rich diet, learning about events, people and settlers in the recent past, in their parents’ living memory and much further beyond. Children are learning more History vocabulary linked to their units too. Monitoring showed that the activities children completed in their books were varied from work on sequencing events, debating causation and exploring artefacts 

Pupil voice meetings with children demonstrated how much they enjoyed workshops they participated as part of their learning in History. These sessions helped the subjects to come alive; workshop leaders commented positively on the engagement levels of the children. 

Pupil voice meetings with children demonstrated how much they enjoyed workshops they participated as part of their learning in History. These sessions helped the subjects to come alive; workshop leaders commented positively on the engagement levels of the children. 

Cultural Capital 

• Through their learning in History, our children will develop the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.  


• They will gain the essential knowledge to be educated citizens, introducing them to ideas, philosophies, civilisations and developments throughout history and across the world.  


• Our curriculum will engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. 

• The History curriculum allows children to learn through drama, investigation & enquiry, providing pupils with the confidence to explore different aspects of civilisations and take this curiosity with them onto their next stage of education and into adulthood. 

Home Learning 

At West Acton, we share the children’s learning in History through the termly curriculum webs. For each new topic, teachers prepare a bespoke knowledge organiser with key learning, vocabulary and illustrations. A copy of this is sent home with the children for families to share in what their child is studying each half-term. Lots of information about the curriculum can also be found on Espresso, an online learning tool provided by the school. 

My Family
Toys (Espresso)

Famous Explorers
Explorers (BBC Bitesize)

Flight
Old and New Transport (Purple Mash)

Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London (Espresso)
Great Fire of London (Purple Mash)

Significant Individuals and Local Heroes
Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole (Espresso)
Florence Nightingale (Purple Mash)
Mary Seacole (Purple Mash)
Local Area Study (Purple Mash)

English Queens & The Royal Family
Queen Elizabeth I (Purple Mash)
Queen Elizabeth II (Purple Mash)
Queen Victoria (Purple Mash)
The Current Royal Family (Purple Mash)
The Royal Family (Espresso)

Stone Age
Stone Age to Iron Age (Espresso)
Prehistoric (BBC Bitesize)
Stone Age (Purple Mash)

Bronze and Iron Age
Stone Age to Iron Age (Espresso)
Prehistoric (BBC Bitesize)
Bronze Age (Purple Mash)
Iron Age (Purple Mash)

Romans
Romans (Espresso)
Roman Britain (BBC Bitesize)
Romans (Purple Mash)

Ancient Egypt
Egyptians (Espresso)
Ancient Egypt (BBC Bitesize)
Ancient Egypt (Purple Mash)

Crime and Punishment
Romans: Crime and Punishment (Purple Mash)
Anglo Saxon: Crime and Punishment (Purple Mash)
Tudor Punishment (Purple Mash)
Crime and Punishment in Industrial Britain (Purple Mash)

Vikings
Vikings (Espresso)
Vikings (Purple Mash)
Vikings (BBC Bitesize)

Anglo Saxons
Anglo Saxons (Espresso)
Anglo Saxons (Purple Mash)
Anglo-Saxons (BBC Bitesize)

Islamic Civilisation
Early Islamic Civilisations (Purple Mash)

The Tudors
Tudors (Espresso)
Tudors (Purple Mash)
Tudors and Stuarts (BBC Bitesize)

World War II
Second World War (Espresso)
World War II (Purple Mash)
World War 2 (BBC Bitesize)

Ancient Greece
Greeks (Espresso)
Ancient Greeks (Purple Mash)
Ancient Greece (BBC Bitesize)

History of me and my family and my time at West Acton
Local Area Study (Purple Mash)
Local History (BBC Bitesize)