Leigh St Mary’s History Intent:

At Leigh St Mary’s we believe the essential characteristics of historians are;

• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods and of historical concepts and processes.
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas very confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
• The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical events derived from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgments.
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.

(2019 Chris Quigley Essential Curriculum)

The History curriculum at Leigh St Mary’s aims to be cohesive, ambitious and develops pupils' knowledge and understanding of the past. Using Kapow and Curriculum Companions from Chris Quigley Education as a basis the curriculum is well-sequenced, broad, and balanced, enabling pupils to acquire a deep understanding of Britain's past and that of the wider world.

Leigh St Mary’s is committed to fostering pupils' curiosity about the past, promoting an appreciation of the complexity of historical events, and ensuring that pupils develop critical thinking skills through the study of History. Additionally, the curriculum aims to promote historical literacy, enabling pupils to articulate and communicate their understanding of the past effectively.

The intent of the History curriculum is to instil a deep curiosity and appreciation for the past in our students. Through a well-structured and progressive curriculum, we aim to inspire a love for history and develop critical thinking skills, empathy, and a sense of identity and belonging in our pupils. Our intent is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that covers a range of historical periods, events, and cultures, including local history, to ensure that pupils have a holistic understanding of the world around them and their place within it.

Leigh St Mary’s History Implementation:

At Leigh St Mary’s the History curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced to build on pupils' prior knowledge and progressively develop their historical understanding. Teachers employ a variety of teaching approaches, resources and stimuli to engage pupils and make History lessons interactive and stimulating. The History curriculum introduces pupils to key historical concepts including; location and settlement, conflict, travel and exploration, culture and beliefs and society. Teachers ensure that pupils are exposed to a diverse range of historical learning, including time to reflect upon the experiences of different communities and cultures

Pupils at Leigh St Mary’s develop historical skills, such as analysing sources, making inferences and constructing reasoned arguments based on evidence. Over the course of their time at Leigh St Mary’s, children develop their understanding of the following key historical disciplinary concepts:

• Change and continuity.
• Cause and consequence.
• Similarities and differences.
• Historical significance.
• Historical interpretations.
• Sources of evidence.

The Leigh St Mary’s History curriculum aims to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers who develop a complex knowledge of local and national history and the history of the wider world. Through the implementation of the curriculum, pupils develop the confidence to think critically, ask questions, and be able to explain and analyse historical evidence. We aim to build an awareness of significant events and individuals in global, British and local history and recognise how things have changed over time. History learning will support children to appreciate the complexity of people’s lives, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Studying History allows children to appreciate the many reasons why people may behave in the way they do, supporting children to develop empathy for others while providing an opportunity to learn from mankind’s past mistakes.

Leigh St Mary’s History curriculum aims to support pupils in building their understanding of chronology in each year group, making connections over periods of time and developing a chronologically-secure knowledge. We aim to develop pupils’ understanding of how historians study the past, construct accounts and to develop the skills to carry out their own historical enquiries.

Using elements of the Kapow History curriculum and progression mapping, we prepare pupils for their future learning in History. Leigh St Mary’s History curriculum enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National Curriculum and the aims also align with those set out in the National Curriculum. In addition, the planned curriculum ensures that cross-curricular links with other subjects, such as English, Art, and Geography enhance pupils' understanding of historical concepts and events. Teachers also utilise opportunities for educational visits, workshops, and guest speakers to enrich pupils' learning experiences and bring History to life.

For Early Years pupils, the planned historical activities allow pupils to work towards the Understanding the World and Development Matters statements and Early Learning Goals, whilst also developing foundational knowledge and skills that will support them in their further History learning in Key stage 1.