History

‘A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.’

The Primary National Curriculum Framework 2014

Aims

At The Abbey CE VA Primary School, we aim to deliver a high-quality history education that sparks curiosity, deepens understanding, and inspires children to explore the past with confidence and enthusiasm. Following a mixture of Collins and the Key Stage History planning approach, our curriculum provides a clear and coherent journey through Britain’s past and the wider world.

We want all pupils to develop a strong sense of identity and cultural awareness. Our teaching enables children to think critically, ask meaningful questions and understand the connections between local, national and global history. By mastering historical vocabulary, concepts and skills, pupils learn not only what happened, but why it happened and how it influences life today.

How We Teach History

History is taught through engaging, carefully sequenced learning that builds progressively on children’s knowledge and skills as they move through the school. Lessons are designed to be active, thought-provoking and rich in enquiry, reflecting the principles of the Key Stage History approach.

Children are encouraged to:

• Explore and interpret a variety of historical sources, including artefacts, photographs, stories, documents and digital resources.
• Make connections across different time periods, places and cultures.
• Consider how events affected different groups of people and understand that history can be viewed from multiple perspectives.
• Use accurate historical vocabulary to communicate their ideas clearly and confidently.
  
  

We also integrate cross-curricular links wherever meaningful – particularly with literacy, geography and the arts – so pupils can apply their historical understanding in broader contexts. Visits, workshops, drama, storytelling and hands-on investigation further bring the past to life.

What Skills and Knowledge Will Your Child Learn?

Our curriculum equips children with both a secure body of historical knowledge and the disciplinary skills needed to think like young historians. By the time they leave The Abbey, pupils will have developed:

Knowledge

• A strong chronological understanding of significant events, eras and individuals from British and world history.
• Awareness of how societies have changed over time and how different civilisations have interacted.
• A clear understanding of how the past shapes the present and influences the future.
  
  

Skills

• The ability to ask perceptive questions and think critically about evidence.
• Skills in analysing, comparing and evaluating historical sources.
• An understanding that history can be interpreted in different ways depending on viewpoint and evidence.
• Confidence in using historical vocabulary and communicating their learning orally, in writing and through discussion.
• Experience in researching, drawing conclusions and forming substantiated judgements.
  
  

Through our approach, pupils develop a genuine love of history and the confidence to enquire independently. They leave primary school well prepared for secondary learning, equipped with the curiosity, knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to understand the past and its relevance to the world around them today.