Our history curriculum is designed to help students build a strong “history schema” — a way of connecting and organising historical knowledge in their long-term memory. It also supports students in achieving the goals set out in our History Milestone Progression document (see below). Our approach follows a simple model:
- Breadth of study
The range of topics students will explore.
- Threshold concepts
The “big ideas” that run through every history topic. These include:
- Investigate and interpret the past – Understanding that our knowledge of history comes from interpreting a range of evidence.
- Build an overview of world history – Appreciating the key features of past eras, recognising similarities and differences across time periods, and understanding that people’s experiences varied depending on their place in society.
- Understand chronology – Learning how to track the passing of time and recognising that events may happen at the same time in different parts of the world.
- Communicate historically – Using historical vocabulary and skills to explain and present information about the past.
- Milestones
The key goals that show students are meeting the expectations of our curriculum.
We believe that children learn best when they develop a secure schema built on knowledge, vocabulary, and meaningful tasks, helping them to confidently reach these milestones.
