History at Ravenswood
At Ravenswood, we know our pupils love history!
Our history curriculum helps our pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It allows our pupils to become confident historians who develop their knowledge and understanding of people and events from a range of historical periods, and inspire in them a curiosity about the past. It allows them to develop a good understanding and appreciation of the present by exploring how historical changes create the diverse community we live in.
At Ravenswood, our history curriculum covers National Curriculum and EYFS objectives. It enables pupils to recall key facts and information in order to build up a chronological narrative of Britain and the wider world as well as developing historical enquiry skills.
Our curriculum includes three primary concepts: Rule and Empire, Everyday Lives and Advancing Civilisations. Second order concepts of Cause and Consequence, Similarities and Difference, Continuity and Change and Significance are also built into relevant lessons. Each unit of work is introduced through an overarching ‘big question’ or a source/artefact to promote children’s natural curiosity and develop their disciplinary skills in enquiry, analysis, evaluation and argument. From this, subsequent lessons cover a key question that develops primary and secondary concepts.
In EYFS, the curriculum is designed around the expectations of the EYFS framework and History fits into the ‘Understanding the World’ (the Past and Present) strand. At this stage, children’s understanding is supported through play and high-quality stories to capture their fascination from an early age. In KS1, children build upon their knowledge of history as a study of the past using their own personal history, as well as the experiences of their parents and grandparents. Pupils are then introduced to familiar topics such as toys, transport and the seaside in the context of the past, to ensure they have opportunities to develop their understanding of simple chronology before moving onto significant events and individuals. In KS2, children study history units chronologically, covering three strands - Local/British History, the Wider World and Ancient Civilisations. This allows children to think about where each topic fits chronologically in relation to their previous learning. As pupil’s progress through school, their knowledge and understanding of key historical vocabulary, events and disciplinary skills are built upon, allowing them to compare people and events and to explain why they are like they are and why they might have changed. All children are introduced to age-related vocabulary to support their knowledge and discussions as they move through each year group.
Our History curriculum will ensure that our children leave Ravenswood with the necessary subject knowledge and disciplinary skills to continue their love of history and support them in the next stage of their education. Ravenswood children will have a curiosity about the world they live in and see themselves as historians and active participants in their community and the wider world.
At Ravenswood, our pupils have access to a variety of opportunities to support their developing historical knowledge. They learn through observation, discussion, listening to stories, reading non-fiction texts and studying maps. Where possible, opportunities for learning outside the classroom are embedded in practice. These enrichment opportunities include:
- School trips are provided to give first hand experiences, which enhance children’s understanding of the world beyond their locality e.g. Housesteads, Segedunum, Hadrian’s Wall, Bede’s World
- Visits to local museums.
- ‘The Past Presents’ spend a whole day with Years 3 and 4, bringing an aspect of one history topic to life.
- Loan boxes (Newcastle Museums) for historical artefacts and sources
- Cross curricular links with geography are used where relevant to embed learning and reduce curriculum overload.