‘History is the study of the past, in particular the changes over time that have occurred within human society.’

Intent: What do we aspire for our children in history at The Epiphany School?

The Epiphany School History curriculum is designed to give children opportunities to investigate enquiries about a range of people and events in the past, building a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We believe this will help children to not only better understand their lives today, but also prepare them for the future as more informed citizens.

We have designed an ambitious History curriculum which enables children to achieve highly, through progressively knowing more, remembering more and doing more, through EYFS to Year 6. This is achieved through increasingly challenging end points of learning.

Our enquiry approach helps pupils develop the disciplinary knowledge of history, which enables them to understand the contested nature of knowledge and to distinguish between ‘fact’ and subjectivity when it comes to reaching conclusions and making reasoned judgements about the past. This is supported by key vocabulary, which is identified and taught within each unit of work and built on from EYFS to Year 6.

In our History curriculum, substantive concepts are used as the big ideas within the subject discipline. These help pupils make sense of what they are being taught so that meaning can be made and connections formed; this will develop children’s growing schema. Second order concepts such as chronology, cause and consequence, significance, similarity and difference, are interwoven into the unit of work so that children deepen their understanding of how to act as an Historian.

We recognise that the knowledge and understanding of History and that of Geography is closely linked, because both subjects focus on people in different places at different times; the Geography of our world has played a huge part in world History also. Therefore, at The Epiphany School, our History and Geography curriculums complement each other, so that the sequencing within both subjects is relevant to one another.

Implementation: How do we deliver our history curriculum?

In line with our whole school curriculum intent, key concepts are embedded and developed throughout our history curriculum. 

Impact: How do we know our curriculum is effective?

Assessment: Assessment will take place in line with the school’s assessment policy. Identified key learning and end points of learning provide criteria by which to assess pupils, supporting teachers to ascertain what pupils know and can do. Teachers should assess pupils throughout teaching and plan subsequent teaching and learning in response to this. Assessment will take many forms including teacher observation, rich questioning, talking with pupils and making children’s work.

High quality outcomes: Pupils should be articulate and knowledgeable about their learning. Work produced will be presented in children’s books.

Monitoring: Monitoring activities may include pupil interviews, informal discussion with staff, looking at pupils’ work, examination of planning and learning walks in order to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum in meeting the intent.

Supporting documentation

• Long Term Curriculum Overview
• Long Term Plan for Understanding the World EYFS
• Long Term Plan for history KS1
• Long Term Plan for history KS2
• History disciplinary concepts progression and coverage
• History coverage of substantive concepts
• History vocabulary overview
• Medium Term Planning documents