Through the teaching of History at Woodcote Primary School, we aim to inspire pupils’ curiosity about the past and to develop their understanding of key events. By gaining knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world, pupils will build respect, appreciation, and pride in their place in the world. Children will ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. Through the teaching of History we aim to enrich the culture capital of each pupil, allowing them to understand the complexity of people’s lives. Teaching enables children to identify key events and people across a timeline of history and to appreciate a variety of historic cultures and artefacts. Children are encouraged to appreciate the process of change and the diversity of societies and beliefs, the relationships between different groups, as well as celebrating their own identity and the challenges of their time.
The history curriculum at Woodcote Primary School provides opportunities for cross-curricular learning across a range of subjects including English, Geography, Art and DT. This enables an enriching experience for all children. Our curriculum is built around ‘golden threads’, key themes that are woven through our curriculum, enabling children to make connections and note contrasts and trends over time, thus building a strong foundation for learning a wide range of historical topics. Trips are encouraged throughout the school to enhance and enrich the history curriculum. Children present information to a range of audiences in a variety of ways, such as sharing assemblies and the creation of museums. On Remembrance Day, the whole school and the local pre-schools visit the War Memorial situated just down the road.
The learning journey begins in the Foundation Stage through ‘Understanding the World’ in the EYFS statutory framework, working towards the Early Learning Goals ‘Understanding the World’ and ‘Past and Present’. Children begin to talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society. They can recognise similarities and differences between things in the past and the present and they start to develop their understanding of the past through storytelling and books.
In Key Stage 1, children will develop their historical understanding and associated vocabulary through study of significant people, which includes comparisons between time periods. They also study events that were significant nationally and locally, for example, the gunpower plot and Remembrance Day. They learn about changes within living memory, for example, through the study of transport over time.
In Key Stage 2, children further develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history. Clear narratives across the periods studied are established through a broadly chronological journey through British History, with a focus on our key themes. Children learn about local history, making use of a range of sources including maps, census records and first-hand knowledge from local residents. The wider world is explored through studies of the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians. Children extend their chronological knowledge through study of a significant turning point in British history. They learn about Ancient Greece and its impact on the wider world.
Autumn | Spring | Summer | ||
EYFS | My family Past and present in stories from history |
History of Woodcote Library and Wallingford Town / Castle, changes over time
| Lives of people from different generations. Famous discoveries over time | |
Year 1 | Changes within Living Memory Celebrating and Remembering: Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day | Explorers: Ernest Shackleton, Tenzing Norgay, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong | Now and Then: Toys | |
Year 2 | Journeys: The History of Transport and Significant People, including Karl Benz, William Morris, The Wright Brothers and George Stephenson | Geography focus | Castles and Monarchs including a local history study of Wallingford Castle and Empress Matilda | |
Year 3 | Ancient Egypt | Geography focus | Stone Age to the Iron Age | |
Year 4 | Local History Study: Why is the library significant to Woodcote and its history? | Geography focus | Rise of the Roman Empire | |
Year 5 | Anglo-Saxons and Vikings | Geography focus | WW2 and The Battle of Britain | |
Year 6 | Ancient Greece | Restless Earth (cross-curricular study with Geography) |
Early Islam: A Study of Baghdad | |
At Woodcote Primary School, pupils’ work demonstrates that history is taught at an age-appropriate standard across each year group. Work is of a good quality and demonstrates pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence.
As they move through the school, our pupils demonstrate that they can:
Assessment
Assessment is ongoing via meaningful written and verbal feedback, teachers will use skilled questioning to provide informal assessment opportunities throughout lessons and to assess individual and whole-class understanding. Subject quizzes and knowledge tests are used throughout a topic to check understanding and assessment of key vocabulary. Moderation of pupil books is used with the whole staff team to ensure consistency and progression of skills across the school.