"A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of the past, inspiring their curiosity to learn more about the people, events, and changes that have shaped the world today."

National Curriculum for History, Department for Education (DfE)

Intent

At Wessex Gardens, our history curriculum is designed to ignite curiosity and develop a lifelong interest in the past. We aim to provide pupils with a rich, engaging, and diverse understanding of history, ensuring that they develop essential knowledge, skills, and historical thinking to make sense of the world around them.

Our curriculum intent is to:

• Develop substantive knowledge of key historical themes, including civilisation, society, invasion, empire, monarchy, and innovation.
• Strengthen disciplinary knowledge, equipping pupils with historical enquiry skills to ask meaningful questions, analyse sources, and make evidence-based historical judgments.
• Encourage comparative thinking, enabling pupils to draw connections across time periods, civilisations, and societies, rather than viewing history as a series of disconnected events.
• Provide a balanced approach to historical learning, integrating chronology and thematic exploration to develop a deep and coherent understanding of the past.
• Ensure a strong local history focus, allowing pupils to understand how national and global events have shaped their own community, such as through the study of the Battle of Barnet.
• Inspire pupils to engage critically with history, developing their ability to assess change over time, understand cause and consequence, and appreciate the historical significance of past events.
• Empower pupils to become informed, reflective, and responsible citizens, using their historical understanding interpreting the present and shape their future.

Implementation

Our history curriculum is carefully structured to ensure that knowledge is built progressively, with an emphasis on substantive historical knowledge and disciplinary historical thinking. Our approach integrates both chronological and thematic learning, ensuring a deep and meaningful understanding of history.

Historical Enquiry:

• Pupils are encouraged to ask valid historical questions and explore historical sources to answer these questions. They use these sources to weigh evidence, draw conclusions, and appraise arguments, giving them the opportunity to act like real historians. This process develops pupils' historical skills, enabling them to make sense of the past through a variety of perspectives and sources.

Key Historical Concepts:

• Pupils are taught essential historical concepts such as civilisation, society, invasion, empire, monarchy, and innovation. These concepts are explored across various topics, allowing pupils to deepen their understanding of how different historical periods were shaped by and contributed to these ideas. Definitions of these concepts are adapted for increasing challenge as pupils progress through each year group.

Development of Disciplinary Knowledge:

• Through carefully planned lessons, pupils will develop the skills necessary to analyse historical events and sources. They will be asked to compare and contrast different periods, judge the significance of key historical figures, and analyse the causes and consequences of events. These skills of historical interpretation, historical significance, and understanding of continuity and change are embedded throughout the curriculum.

Engagement with Sources and Evidence:

• Pupils are regularly exposed to high-quality sources, such as primary documents, artefacts, and historical texts. These sources are integrated into lessons, enabling pupils to practice historical enquiry by interpreting and evaluating the evidence. Through guided instruction and independent practice, pupils will build their analytical skills and enhance their ability to make well-supported historical judgments.

Reinforcement through Quizzes and Review:

• Substantive knowledge is reinforced regularly through weekly entry and exit quizzes at the beginning and end of every lesson, and pupils create their own end of topic knowledge organisers. This frequent recall helps solidify pupils' knowledge and allows them to connect different historical periods and events across time.

Cross-Curricular Connections:

• The history curriculum is designed to make connections with other subjects, such as English, geography, and art. By linking history with other areas of the curriculum, pupils can apply their historical knowledge in a broader context, enriching their learning experience and enhancing their understanding of history's place in the wider world.

Key Stage 1 (KS1) 

• Pupils develop an awareness of chronology by comparing past and present events through topics such as Childhood History Past and Present and How Barnet Has Changed Over Time.
• They study nationally significant events such as The Great Fire of London and The Gunpowder Plot, enabling them to explore cause and consequence in a way that is meaningful for young learners.
• Pupils are introduced to significant historical figures through the study of Kings and Queens and Important People in History, such as Florence Nightingale, Rosa Parks, and Neil Armstrong.
• They engage with historical sources, including photographs, stories, and artefacts, to begin developing their enquiry skills.

Key Stage 2 (KS2) – Thematic Approach

At Wessex Gardens, our KS2 curriculum follows a thematic approach rather than a strictly chronological order. This decision is based on pedagogical reasoning and is designed to maximise engagement, understanding, and progression.

Developing Historical Thinking Skills More Effectively

Teaching thematically allows pupils to explore and revisit key historical concepts (e.g., monarchy, society, empire, and innovation) across different time periods. This encourages pupils to draw comparisons and make connections between civilisations more effectively than if topics were taught in strict chronological order.

Enhancing Engagement and Retention

By linking themes across different time periods, pupils find history more engaging and accessible. For example, studying the Industrial Revolution after the Tudors allows pupils to explore how power and governance evolved in Britain, rather than waiting until the end of KS2 to see long-term change.

Building Comparative and Critical Thinking Skills

A thematic approach enables pupils to compare different societies at similar points in their development. For instance, they study Ancient Greece, the Early Islamic Civilisation, and the Kingdom of Benin within the same year, which helps them understand how different civilisations flourished independently while influencing one another.

Ensuring a Strong Local History Focus

Thematic teaching allows local history to be woven into the curriculum at appropriate moments. For example, pupils explore the Battle of Barnet alongside their study of power struggles and monarchy to understand how national conflicts, such as the Wars of the Roses, directly impacted their local community.

Providing Contextual Understanding for Later Learning

Thematic sequencing ensures that pupils develop a strong foundation in key ideas before exploring their effects over time. For example, understanding the concept of empire through the Romans helps pupils later analyse the impact of the British Empire during the Industrial Revolution.

KS2 Thematic Curriculum Sequence

Year 3 – Foundations of Civilisations

• Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age – Introduces pupils to early human history, focusing on settlement, technological advancement, and the formation of societies.
• Ancient Egypt – Explores one of the first great civilisations, allowing pupils to understand early government, writing, and cultural achievements.
• The Roman Empire and its Impact on Britain – Provides pupils with an understanding of empire-building and governance, linking to later themes of conquest and cultural influence.

Year 4 – Power, Settlement, and Society

• Britain’s Settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots – Focuses on migration, settlement, and the establishment of early kingdoms.
• The Vikings – Develops pupils’ understanding of conflict, invasion, and cultural blending.
• The Battle of Barnet (Local History Study) – Explores a key battle in the Wars of the Roses, deepening pupils’ understanding of power struggles, monarchy, and the impact of historical events on their local community.

Year 5 – Civilisations and Cultural Exchange

• Ancient Greece and Its Influence – Explores democracy, philosophy, and culture, linking to modern governance.
• Early Islamic Civilisation – Highlights advancements in science, trade, and culture, fostering an appreciation for non-European history.
• The Kingdom of Benin – Provides contrast with medieval Britain, focusing on African history and the development of trade and governance.

Year 6 – Change, Revolution, and Conflict

• World War II – Introduces modern global conflict, the role of Britain, and social change.
• The Tudors – Explores monarchy, religious change, and the impact of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
• The Industrial Revolution – Examines technological advancements, economic change, and the social impact of industrialisation.

Impact

The impact of our history curriculum is evident in the knowledge, skills, and engagement of our pupils. Because we use a thematic approach in KS2, pupils develop:

Strong Historical Knowledge

• Pupils can draw connections between different historical periods, understanding the broader themes that link civilisations over time.
• Their knowledge is not limited to isolated time periods but instead shaped by their ability to compare and contrast different historical contexts.
• They have a deep understanding of key concepts such as monarchy, society, empire, and innovation, rather than learning them in a fragmented way.

Critical Thinking Skills

• Pupils will be skilled in historical enquiry, able to ask valid historical questions and analyse sources to make evidence-based conclusions.
• They will be adept at understanding cause and consequence, continuity and change, and historical significance.
• The thematic structure encourages pupils to make connections and assess history holistically, rather than as disconnected events.

Chronological Awareness

• Despite the thematic structure, pupils develop a strong chronological framework by continuously revisiting key historical events and placing them in context.
• They understand the overlapping nature of different civilisations, reinforcing a global perspective on historical development.

Engagement and Enthusiasm for History

• Pupils leave Wessex Gardens with a deep appreciation for history and an enthusiasm for learning about the past.
• They recognise the relevance of history in understanding the present and shaping the future, equipping them with the tools to engage with the world as informed citizens.

Informed and Reflective Citizens

• Pupils will be able to reflect on the complexities of human society and appreciate the diverse perspectives that have shaped the modern world.
• They will have the critical thinking skills to evaluate contemporary issues in light of historical lessons, fostering a sense of social responsibility and global awareness.