History at Barnes Primary will help pupils to understand how the past can be divided up into different times, and to recognise and understand that there are similarities, differences and connections between eras. It will develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past within Britain and the wider world; how and why some things change and some remain the same; why events take place and the outcomes that follow. Pupils will have the opportunity to learn about the impact that events from the past have had on the modern day with British values threaded through. We provide a framework of historical skills for the pupils to draw from which will equip them to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement and ultimately inspire pupils’ passion and curiosity to know more about the past. Artefact handling, problem solving with source material, day trips, themed events and visiting speakers all contribute to make the subject a vivid and stimulating area.
How we study History at Barnes
In the Early Years, pupils observe changes in their personal experience, talk about past and present events in their own lives and build up everyday vocabulary related to time. Pupils also develop their investigative and interpretive skills through exploring primary sources first-hand, analysing text and images, and locating information from images and electronic sources. They will be developing their knowledge and understanding of the world both independently and in groups.
As pupils progress through the school, starting in Key Sage 1, they look at changes within living memory, as well as studying significant events in the past. They learn about significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Through stories, drama, artefacts, art assemblies and trips, they also focus on comparing their own experiences to significant events and periods further back in history.
By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils will have developed a chronologically secure knowledge of British, local and world history, understanding how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. Alongside this the children will engage in questions about change and cause and make informed responses.
Our aim for History at Barnes
Through the framework for the 2014 National Curriculum, history taught at Barnes aims to ensure that all children:
- 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 mankind
- gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract historical 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
Historical enquiry
Historical enquiry is the process of asking questions about the past and finding answers by exploring the sources left behind from the past. It involves children becoming ‘history detectives’ who ask questions and search for answers by sifting through evidence. As their skills develop, children can move to a more rigorous form of enquiry involving the development and testing of hypotheses. Historical enquiries can focus on a significant individual, an event or a change. Meaningful learning occurs when children are challenged to think critically when analysing evidence from the past.
The framework we use for a historical enquiry has a number of stages. Each stage can be revisited at any time during the enquiry:
- Ask questions
- Use evidence
- Suggest initial hypotheses
- Reflect and discuss
- Test hypotheses – use further evidence
- Make judgements
- Conclude and communicate
Here are the principal historical enquiries that different year groups will be exploring to find out more about the past:
| YR | – Can I talk about what happened yesterday/last week/last year? – Can I talk about changes in season? – Can I talk about Guy Fawkes and other key figures we introduce in class and why they were important? – Can I talk about what has stated the same and what has changed in my classroom and school over the year? |
| Y1 | – Were homes different in the past? – How has technology changed? – Can I talk about what happened yesterday/last week/last year? – Can I talk about changes in season? – Can I talk about Guy Fawkes and other key figures we introduce in class and why they were important? – Can I talk about what has stated the same and what has changed in my classroom and school over the year? |
| Y2 | – Local history – Is Barnes Common still significant? How has the Olympic Cinema changed over time? What significant people lived locally and why were they important? – Who was the most influential nurse? A comparison between Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell. – Was the Great Fire of London a blessing or a curse? |
| Y3 | – Is it true to say that Stone Age people were just simple hunter gatherers? – What was new about the New Stone Age? – Who was the Amesbury Archer? (Bronze Age) – The Iron Age: what changed? What stayed the same? |
| Y4 | – Who were the Romans? What was their impact on Britain? – Richmond Park – How did the brick walls keep a king happy? How has the park changed over the years? – What was the impact of WW2 on the lives of children (locally, nationally and internationally)? – What was the legacy of Ancient Greece? |
| Y5 | – When was the area around the school built? How has it changed since 1745 – What caused the change? – Who were the Vikings? How did people live in Viking Britain? – Who were the Anglo Saxons? How did people live in Anglo-Saxon Britain? |
| Y6 | – Why are Pompeii and Herculaneum so important to historians? – What can we find out about the Egyptians from what has survived? – Who were the Maya and what caused the urban decline of the 9th century? |
History is taught within our learning themes and also during guided reading sessions. The extensive content of the new primary curriculum (implemented from September 2014) led to a decision to teach some of the factual content within guided reading sessions.
