Intent 

At North Petherton we aim to stimulate children’s interest and understanding about the life of people who lived in the past and ways in which it differs from the present. We believe that learning about the past helps children to make sense of the world in which they live and to develop analytical thinking. 

We aim to:  

• To develop an interest in the past and an appreciation of human achievements and aspirations. 
• To understand the values of our society; to learn about the major issues and events in the history of our own country and of the world and how these events may have influenced one another. 
• To develop knowledge of chronology within which the children can organise their understanding of the past. 
• To enable children to know about significant events in British history and to appreciate how things have changed over time. 
• For children to develop a range of skills and abilities - particularly those related to finding out about the past, explaining what happened and what people then and now think about what happened 
• develop a sense of identity 
• develop a sense of heritage. 

Implementation 

Teachers create a positive attitude to History learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children can achieve high standards in History. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of History involves the following: 

• History is taught in year groups using clear and comprehensive plans in line with the National Curriculum. 
• History is taught through a cross-curricular thematic approach, and we link history to as many subjects as well as ensuring no tenuous link is made.  
• History compliments the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Some of the texts that we use in the English lessons are historical in nature. 
• Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and where possible be given the opportunity to use their skills to discover the answers. 
• Teachers use precise questioning in class to test knowledge and skills and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all children keep up. 
• We use ICT to aid the teaching of History where appropriate.  
• Educational visits and visitors into the classroom are investigated by teachers prior to starting a unit of work and use of the outdoor environment is encouraged to support the children’s learning. 
• Teachers meet to reflect on the impact of the teaching of history across the school and reflect on its impact on learning. 
•  History contributes significantly to the teaching of personal, social, citizenship and health education. Children develop self-confidence by having opportunities to explain their views. 
• On a number of social questions such as how society should respond to poverty and homelessness, they discover how to be active citizens in a democratic society by learning how laws are made and changed, and they learn how to recognize and challenge stereotypes and to appreciate that racism is a harmful aspect of society. They learn how society is made up of people from different cultures and start to develop tolerance and respect for others. 
• History contributes to the children’s spiritual development where possible. Children learn about the role of the church in Tudor times, and they find out how British society has changed over time. The history programme of study enables children to understand that Britain’s rich cultural heritage can be further enriched by the multi-cultural British society of today. 

Impact 

• Children have a love and passion for History and can identify clear links with the work undertaken in class and the real world. 
• We aim for children to achieve at least age-related expectations in their History subject knowledge and skills at the end of the year. 
• Children can ask questions to investigate  

• Children confidently work collaboratively and practically to investigate 
• Children are well-prepared for the next stage of their educational journey.