History
School Vision
To give all the opportunity to be who God created them to be and have fullness of life.
Our History Vision
Is to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past, through exploring significance, continuity and change, cause and consequence and using evidence.
History at St. Peter’s Elwick
At St. Peter’s we know that history is so much more than a record of events; it is the examination of the past which includes the use of evidence.
History is the process of enquiry, the search for evidence, and the examination of this evidence by sorting, evaluating and weighing it. For example, in KS1 children can explain how Lowry’s interpretations through art can show us how the world has changed. In Upper KS2, an analysis of records of treatment from doctors when looking at medicine through a variety of sources allows children to build up a picture of the progression of medicine and operations.
Children learn that historians use this evidence to imaginatively reconstruct the past – to write their history. The problem is that evidence is nearly always incomplete. So, historians use their skills to fill in the gaps and imagine and infer how it might have been. It is like completing a jigsaw when parts are missing and the picture on the lid is incomplete. KS1 pupils may be shown six photographs of sources from the Great Fire of London and they will write a paragraph for a museum display in which they note what they all have in common. In Upper KS2, Y5/6 pupils will work out why some government posters in World War Two were rejected and others accepted as effective propaganda.
Pupils also learn that when historians describe and explain the past, what we get is their idea, and not a fixed and uncontested view of the past. For this reason we offer pupils the opportunity to see how and why different versions of the past differ.
At St. Peters we know when children are becoming historically literate when we see the following elements in their writing and discussions:
1. Pupils show an understanding of how it is possible to know about the past, even though there is no one alive today who has experienced it.
2. They start to show an understanding of how people’s claims about what happened in the past can be tested. They can prove that statements are true by reference to evidence. They also grasp that the discovery of the truth requires imaginative reconstruction and interpretation.
3. They show a respect for evidence, a concern for the truth and for valid argument, not mere assertion.
4. They begin to understand that there are multiple versions of the past, and are aware that the past is not simply ‘dead and gone’ but continually being re-interpreted. History is an unending search for the truth with the only certainty that there will be more to be said and that before long, others will say it.
5. They show signs of building up a picture of the past through the use of different sources and evidence.
Why is it important to know what it means to be a Historian?
We study history because history doesn’t stay behind us. Research by the History MOOC has shown Studying history helps us understand how events in the past made things the way they are today.
At St. Peter’s Elwick Primary School we understand that with lessons from the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we came to be, but also develop the ability to avoid mistakes and create better paths for our societies.
St. Peter’s Elwick History Curriculum
At the heart of our History curriculum is the substantive and disciplinary knowledge that children need to prepare them for success in their education journey.
Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and follows a 2 year rolling programme. The curriculum is bespoke to the school through the use of our local heritage and that of the wider environment.
Substantive Historical knowledge which includes:
Topic knowledge of time periods of history and areas studied.
Chronological knowledge which includes the understanding of the passage of time, but also how events fit chronologically within a time period.
Substantive Concepts e.g. empire, trade and tax
Disciplinary Historical Knowledge is the understanding of the second order concepts. Those concepts which help children to understand how historians investigate the past, and how they construct historical claims, arguments and accounts.
These follow the strands
- Sources and Evidence (An understanding of primary and secondary sources and how historians would use these to show how life was lived in the past).
- Historical interpretations (The description, analysis, and explanation of past events.)
- Cause and consequence (Cause and consequence is a relationship in history between an event, a condition, or a decision (the cause) and the events or results that follow it (the consequences).Understanding cause and consequence is a key aspect of historical analysis and helps historians to understand how and why things happened in the past.
- Change and continuity (Change and continuity form the foundation of the study of history, as historians seek to understand both the ways in which societies and cultures have evolved over time, as well as the ways in which certain elements have remained constant.)
- Similarity and difference Learning beyond stereotypical assumptions about people in the past, to recognise and analyse the diversity of past experience.
- Historical Significance When deciding what people, events and ideas to examine, we have to choose only those which we consider to be the most important to our local community, Nationally and globally.
Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and follows a 2 year rolling programme. The curriculum is bespoke to the school through the use of our local heritage and that of the wider environment.
Key Documents
History Disciplinary Knowledge Strand progression
SEND
St. Peter’s Elwick Primary promotes a curriculum that puts all pupils, regardless of their needs, at the heart of what we do. By building mutual respect, we accept others for their differences believing that everyone is special and everyone has something to offer.
Our inclusive and enriching curriculum, written for all children, provides pupils with meaningful and aspirational experiences as well as promoting personal growth for life-long learning. When the curriculum needs adapting, to suit the needs of individual children, appropriate modifications are made by the class teacher with support of the SENDCo and the Curriculum Subject Lead.
History is the study of the past
The study of history helps make sense of humankind. It also helps people understand the things that happen today and that may happen in the future.
Using artefacts to gain an understanding of the past can support our understanding of cultures and civilisations.
It is important to know about our local area and to find out about the history of our town. Children use primary and secondary sources to delve into history.
Awards
St. Peter’s Elwick Primary school is a member of Historic England.
We have also achieved the Heritage Schools Award.
Books we use to support our curriculum
Year 5 and 6
Year 3 and 4
Year 1 and 2
St. Peter’s Elwick would like to give thanks to the following publishers for allowing us to use their book cover image:
Reproduced from Usborne Famous Lives: Florence Nightingale by permission of Usborne Publishing, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, UK. www.usborne.com. Copyright © 2004 Usborne Publishing Limited.
Bloomsbury Publishing: Fantastically Great Woman Who Changed The World
Baile Press: Middleworld
DK Children/ Publishing: A City Through Time
Useful Links
Any clubs, websites, agencies and organisations listed on this webpage outside of St Peter’s Elwick CofE Primary School are independent of the school.
