History at SMFR

The intention of the History curriculum at SMFR is to inspire pupil’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world.  It creates a climate where every child is actively encouraged to question the what, the who, the why and the how of the world around them. Children are taken on a historical journey that allows them to delve deep into historical periods, examine changes that have occurred, weigh evidence, sift arguments and understand the changes between different groups, whilst recognising their own identity.

Through finding out about how and why the world, our country, culture, faith and local community have developed over time, children understand how the past influences the present. History enables children to develop a context for their growing sense of identity and a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. What they learn through history can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values.  To flourish successfully, as historians, they need to be able to research, interpret evidence, including primary and secondary sources, and have the necessary skills to argue for their point of view; a skill that will help them in their future. In essence, the History curriculum actively promotes the love and passion towards history for life.

Subject Aims

• The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:
• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of humanity
• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts: understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales