History

At St Edward’s, our children love History! There is always a tangible 'buzz' in classrooms as children learn about the lives of Victorian school children, the many wives of Henry VIII and the experiences of soldiers in the trenches of World War I. Children are naturally fascinated by the events of the past, and it is our ambition to nurture this curiosity and equip St Edwards' children with the skills and knowledge to become life-long historians.

We believe that history allows children to begin to understand their place in our world, considering what and who has come before them.

We want our children to develop a coherent chronological narrative and develop historical concepts such as cause and effect, considering how their lives and those of others have been impacted.

History allows children to develop their understanding of and appreciate how others may have had to make sacrifices to allow them to live the life they lead today.

They can begin to understand that the past has many facets and that each era is different from the next. Children will develop an understanding for the wider world but also Britain and how it has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.

We aim for our children to be able to be analytical, critical thinkers with a secure understanding of chronology.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

Marcus Garvey

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

Marcus Garvey.

A Curriculum for Our Children

Accordion content

A Curriculum for All Children

Ambition

Our ambition in History for children with SEND is broadly in line with our ambition for all children.

We believe that we need to be ambitious about what our children with SEN can achieve and not believe their ability is ‘fixed’ for every subject. Yes, we should take into consideration their barriers to learning but we shouldn't let these limit their opportunities - just because they find reading difficult, it doesn't mean that they won’t be able to interpret Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics or develop a strong sense of chronology.

Access (How we may support children with SEND to achieve in History)

At the start of units and lessons, children revisit prior knowledge and vocabulary.
Children have visual knowledge organisers which map out the key knowledge and vocabulary within each unit of work. These can be used for pre-teaching new vocabulary prior to the lesson, to help children visualise the concepts they are using in class and can help with spelling and writing activities.
Check in - For children with SEN, a history/geography lesson can be overwhelming with all the new information they are given as well as trying to comprehend ideas that may be very alien to them. Teachers and TAs make a point of checking in with these children and offering further support or scaffolding where necessary.
Working walls - Images and facts are displayed on working walls and teachers refer to these regularly.

EYFS