History

Intent

At Hanwell, we aim for a high-quality history curriculum that inspires curiosity and fascination about Britain’s past and that of our wider world. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about the history of Britain and the wider world, where knowledge is taught from EYFS and is built upon in future History lessons throughout the school to allow children to revisit and develop their understanding. We strive to encourage children to understand how past events have influenced the wider world so then children can deepen their knowledge and understanding surrounding significant aspects of the history of the wider world. This includes ancient civilisations and empires, changes in living memory, and beyond. They will learn about the lives of significant people of the past; understand the methods of historical inquiry, and be able to ask and answer questions. We want children to enjoy and love learning about history, gaining knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of locally inspired educational visits.

Implementation

By ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in history, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. History is taught as part of a termly or half-termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. The curriculum is coherent and teaches chronological substantive knowledge of the history of Britain and the wider world, selected to build pupils’ understanding of three vertical concepts. These vertical concepts provide both a concrete lens through which to study and contextualise history:

Quest for knowledge

How do people understand the world around them? What is believed; what is known; what scientific and technological developments are made at the time? How is knowledge stored and shared? What shapes people’s views about the world?

Power, empire, and democracy

Who holds power, and what does this mean for different people in the civilisations? How is power wielded and legitimised? How are people’s rights different in different historical contexts?

Community and family

What is life like for people in different societies? How are these societies structured? How are family and community roles and relationships different in different historical contexts?

Opportunities for all pupils to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, but also to be taken beyond their own experiences. The history curriculum teaches pupils about civilisations from across the world, and always incorporates the experiences – positive and negative – of ethnic minorities in the history of Britain.

Impact

The impact of this broad curriculum is that children at Hanwell are equipped with historical skills and knowledge that enable them to be ready for Key Stage 3 historical study and for life as an adult in the wider world. Children are engaged and motivated, ensuring that cross-curricular links deepen knowledge of communities, the wider community, and how changes across the world that happen in their lifetimes can also become the history of the future.