History at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School

At St. Joseph's,  we are committed to providing a high-quality history education that aligns with our Catholic ethos and values. Our recently implemented United Curriculum for History ensures that all children, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to develop a coherent and chronological understanding of the history of Britain and the wider world.

Curriculum Overview

The United Curriculum for History is structured around three key vertical concepts that provide a concrete lens through which our children can study and contextualise the past:

1. Quest for Knowledge: Exploring how people have understood the world around them, what they have believed and known, and how scientific and technological developments have shaped their views.
2. Power, Empire, and Democracy: Examining who has held power, how it has been wielded and legitimised, and how people's rights have differed in various historical contexts.
3. Community and Family: Investigating the lived experiences of diverse groups within different societies, including the roles and relationships within families and communities.

By incorporating these vertical concepts, we ensure that our children not only gain substantive knowledge but also develop the disciplinary and procedural skills to think, read, and write like historians. Our curriculum also provides opportunities for all pupils to see themselves reflected in the content, while also broadening their understanding of civilizations from around the world.

Implementation

The implementation of our history curriculum reflects our broader teaching and learning principles, which are firmly rooted in our school's mission and values. We prioritise carefully situating new content within existing schemas, using vertical concepts to connect learning across different civilizations, and providing opportunities for extended, scholarly writing that allows our children to engage with history as young historians.

Formative assessment is a key part of our approach, with teachers regularly checking understanding through questioning, pupil conferencing, and pre- and post-learning quizzes. This ensures that we can identify and address any gaps or misconceptions, enabling all children to keep up with the curriculum and make progress.

Impact

Our carefully sequenced curriculum, with its focus on building conceptual understanding over time, is the foundation of our progression model. By keeping up with the curriculum, our children are making progress, and our assessment practises help us to identify and support those who may be finding the subject more challenging.

At St. Joseph's, we are committed to fostering an excitement for history that inspires a genuine curiosity to learn more about the past. Through our Catholic ethos and values, we aim to empower our children to become confident, happy, and engaged citizens who can make a positive contribution to our school community and beyond.