History Statement of Intent
At Hylton Castle Primary we celebrate and explore the rich history of our local area with our children. Our history curriculum utilises the resources within the immediate and wider school area enabling our children to develop a deep, contextual understanding of the abundant history of their own locality. Children progressively develop their skills as historians and can understand the importance of significant events, analyse sources and confidently form their own opinions.
Topics are informed by the National Curriculum, children’s interests and the history of the local area. This allows the children to develop a deep understanding and respect for history, building upon the skills and knowledge learned in previous year groups so children gain a coherent, chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past as well as their own identity.
Implementation
History is taught in blocks throughout the year so our children are equipped with a chronologically secure understanding of history from the Stone Age to present day. Key skills and knowledge are identified to ensure a progressive approach to teaching our chosen History topics.
The rich history of our local area of Hylton Castle and Sunderland is utilised, giving extensive contextualised learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Working closely with various local projects, we ensure the children get a deeper understanding of the local area as well as exploring career aspirations linked to history.
All learners are given extensive opportunities to deepen their learning through well planned lessons and effective differentiation. The history curriculum begins in EYFS in their ‘Understanding of the World’ giving them a strong foundation of appreciation for people, communities, the world and technology.
Our topic based approach to learning throughout the school provides opportunities for in depth historical studies which encourages strong links to all subjects, particularly reading and writing.
| National Curriculum aim 1 | National Curriculum aim 2 | National Curriculum aim 3 | |
| Year 1 | Neil Armstrong The study of a significant person. | The History of Toys Changes within living memory | The Changes in Hylton Castle Changes within living memory Significant places within their own locality |
| Year 2 | The History of Shipbuilding in Sunderland. Changes within living memory Significant historical places and people in own locality | The Great Fire of London Events beyond living memory | Queen Victoria Life of significant individual |
| Year 3 | Local Area Study – Hylton Castle A study of an aspect of history or a site dating from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality. | Egyptians Achievements of an early civilization and in depth study. | Romans The Roman empire and its impact on Britain |
| Year 4 | Anglo-Saxons Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots | Vikings Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor | Victorians Extended chronological study post 1066 |
| Year 5 | Stone Age Pre-Roman Britain: Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age | The Maya A non-European society that provides contrasts with British history | The Tudors A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 |
| Year 6 | The Ancient Greeks Pupils should be taught a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world | World War 2 Extended chronological study – Significant turning point in British history |
History Progression of Skills
| Year Group | EYFS | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
| Topics | Child led learning | Neil Armstrong, history of toys, local area study | Great Fire of London, Inventors, Explorers, 50s/60s | Egyptians, Romans, Local Area Study | The Stone Age, The Victorians, The Vikings | Anglo-Saxons, The Mayans, The Tudors | WW2, The Ancient Greeks |
| Chronological Awareness | Talk about past and present events in their own lives Observe changes over time | Understand the difference between things that happened in the past and the present. Describe things that happened to themselves and other people in the past. Order a set of events or objects Use words and phrases such as: now, yesterday, last week, when I was younger, a long time ago, a very long time ago, before I was born. When my parents/carers were young | Sequence artefacts closer together in time. Sequence events from different periods of their life and describe memories of key events in lives. | Understand that a timeline can be divided into BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) Use a timeline to place historical events in chronological order. Describe dates of and order significant events from the period studied. | Understand that a timeline can be divided into BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) Order significant events and dates on a timeline. Describe the main changes in a period in history | Understand that a timeline can be divided into BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) Order significant events, movements and dates on a timeline. Describe the main changes in a period in history | Order significant events, movements and dates on a timeline. Identify and compare changes within and across different periods. Understand how some historical events occurred concurrently in different locations i.e. Ancient Egypt and Prehistoric Britain. |
| Knowledge | Talk about things they have observed as well as why things happen and how they work | Recall some facts about people/events before living memory Say why people may have acted the way they did. | Understand and use the words past and present when telling others about an event. Recount changes in my own life over time. Understand how to put people, events and objects in order of when they happened, with help from prompts Begin to use a timeline to place important events. | Use evidence to describe the culture and leisure activities from the past. Use evidence to describe the clothes, way of life and actions of people in the past. Use evidence to describe buildings and their uses of people from the past | Use evidence to describe what was important to people from the past. Use evidence to show how the lives of rich and poor people from the past differed. Describe similarities and differences between people, events and artefacts studied. Describe how some of the things I have studied from the past affect/influence life today. | Choose reliable sources of information to find out about the past. Give own reasons why changes may have occurred, backed up by evidence. Describe similarities and differences between some people, events and artefacts studied Describe how historical events studied affect/influence life today. Make links between some of the features of past societies. (e.g. religion, houses, society, technology.) | Choose reliable sources of information to find out about the past. Give reasons why changes may have occurred, backed up by evidence. Describe similarities and differences between some people, events and artefacts studied. Describe how some of the things studied from the past affect/influence life today. Make links between some of the features of past societies. (e.g. religion, houses, society, technology.) |
| Organisation and Communication | Tell stories and draw what has happened to themselves and others in the past | Sort events or objects into groups (i.e. then and now.) Use timelines to order events or objects. Tell stories about the past. Talk, write and draw things from the past | Describe objects, people or events in history. Use timelines to order events or objects or place significant people. Communicate ideas about people, objects or events from the past in speaking, writing, drawing and role-play | Communicate ideas about the past writing, drawing, diagrams, data-handling, drama role-play and storytelling | Communicate ideas about from the past using writing, drawing, diagrams, data-handling, role-play and storytelling. | Communicate ideas about from the past using different genres of writing, drawing, diagrams, data-handling, drama role-play and storytelling | Communicate ideas about from the past using different genres of writing, drawing, diagrams, data-handling, drama role-play and storytelling. Plan and present a self-directed project or research about the studied period. |
| Historical Interpretation | Look at similarities, differences, similarities and change | Look at books, videos, photographs, pictures and artefacts to find out about the past. | Look at and use books and pictures, stories, eye witness accounts, pictures, photographs, artefacts, historic buildings, museums, galleries, historical sites and the internet to find out about the past. | Explore the idea that there are different accounts of history | Look at different versions of the same event in history and identify differences. Know that people in the past represent events or ideas in a way that persuades others. | Understand that some evidence from the past is propaganda, opinion or misinformation, and that this affects interpretations of history. Give reasons why there may be different accounts of history. Evaluate evidence to choose the most reliable forms. | Evaluate evidence to choose the most reliable forms. Know that people both in the past have a point of view and that this can affect interpretation. Give clear reasons why there may be different accounts of history, linking this to factual understanding of the past. |
| Historical Enquiry | To comment and ask questions about aspects of their familiar world. | Identify different ways in which the past is represented. Explore events, look at pictures and ask questions. Look at objects from the past and ask questions. | Identify different ways in which the past is represented. Ask questions about the past. Use a wide range of information to answer questions. | Use documents, printed sources (e.g. archive materials) the Internet, databases, pictures, photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings, visits to museums and visits to sites as evidence about the past. Ask questions and find answers about the past. | Use documents, printed sources (e.g. archive materials) the Internet, databases, pictures, photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings, visits to museums and visits to sites to collect evidence about the past. Ask questions and find answers about the past | Use documents, printed sources (e.g. archive materials) the Internet, databases, pictures, photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings, visits to museums and visits to sites to collect evidence about the past. Choose reliable sources of evidence to answer questions, realising that there is often not a single answer to historical questions. Investigate own lines of enquiry by posing questions to answer. | Use documents, printed sources (e.g. archive materials) the Internet, databases, pictures, photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings, visits to museums and galleries and visits to sites to collect evidence about the past. Choose reliable sources of evidence to answer questions, realising that there is often not a single answer to historical questions. Investigate own lines of enquiry by posing questions to answer. |
Progression of Vocabulary.
| Year Group | EYFS | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
| General Historical Vocabulary | old new past first last long ago family tree | a long time ago when I was little since I was born queen/ king then/now years different object picture photograph explain used for local area | before/after past/present earlier/later event Britain source research sequence time order items | chronological order BC/AD decade ancient century timeline period development archaeologists excavate evidence similarities/ differences information historical historian primary source secondary source | Compare/contrast religious differences wealthy poor accurate picture of historical argument point of view Brits settlers settlement invaders/invasion conquer(ed) monarchy | comparison Christian values crime punishment hypothesis civilizations reliable societies rebellion | summarise major influence world history continuity persuade viewpoint propaganda ideology democracy interpretation |