History Curriculum Statement

Intent

At Alpha Preparatory school, we aim to provide a curriculum that will develop in our pupils, a curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world.  Through finding out about how and why the world, our country, culture and local community have developed over time, children will understand how the past influences the present.  Our curriculum will ensure all pupils, regardless of their special educational needs, cultural backgrounds or academic ability, are equipped with knowledge of significant events and people, and pupils will acquire the investigative and historical study skills that are transferrable and will benefit their future achievements.

Implementation

All children will be encouraged and supported to develop skills and understanding in history through a range of experiences. These will include:

• Studying a range of primary and secondary sources
• Studying the historiography of topics
• Drawing independent conclusions from a range of resources
• Visiting places of significance on school trips
• Comparing periods of history with other parts of the world
• Studying black history topics and significant people

Building year upon year, teachers will encourage the development of the progressive skills of an historian and not just teach a series of facts about the past.  To do this successfully, as historians, pupils will need to be able to research, interpret evidence and develop the skills to debate their conclusions with others; a skill they will use in their adult life. Teachers are encouraged to consider opportunities for cross curricular teaching.

Impact

During their time at Alpha, children will have developed a secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and context from the historical period covered. The skills developed will include:

• The ability to think critically about history and communicate their viewpoint with confidence.
• The ability to evaluate primary and secondary sources, and form their own opinions based on the evidence before them.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining lines of enquiry.
• An enthusiastic engagement with learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and an understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
• An ability to make critical use of evidence to support their explanations and judgements.