History - Statement of Intent 

At Elmtree we provide a History curriculum that immerses pupils in learning that is memorable, engaging and meaningful. The History curriculum enables pupils to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and vocabulary they need to be successful Historians. Our History curriculum will enable the children to develop, apply and embed their skills through linked topic learning, building on what they already know and can do.

Our intent is that: - 

· Pupils are taught history in an enriched and cross curricular approach, enabling progression of learning and skills amongst other subjects.

· The curriculum is designed with the intention that every pupil can reach their potential in History.  At Elmtree School, every teacher is a teacher of SEND. As such, inclusion is a thread that runs through every area of the school. 

· Visits locally and within the community are planned linking to school themes, to allow our pupils to be proud and have a sense of belonging of their local area.

· Activities and visits involving visitors and the community are planned in to provide first-hand experiences for the pupils to support and develop their learning as historians and their historical experiences.

· Pupils gain more historical experiences from going on visits and being proud of their local heritage.

· History is promoted through the celebration of anniversaries, festivals, and events throughout the year, which are linked with other areas of the curriculum.

· Pupils will learn lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their lives in the future, supporting school’s overall focus on enabling them to become responsible citizens.

· High quality history lessons will inspire pupils to want to know more about the past and to think and act as historians, understanding their role in time.

Implementation 

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in History, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.

Planning for History is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for History 2014’ and, ‘Understanding the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage (2020).

Our curriculum is designed on a base of skills and knowledge that we want our children to learn in History. We then deliver these skills and knowledge through our topics, which we select to excite and motivate our young children. Children will:

· Develop a good awareness of the past

· Learn where people and the events that we explore fit in within a chronological timeline

· Start to recognise some similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods of history

· Learn to ask and answer questions about the past

· Develop their analytical thinking as they progress through their time at Elmtree

· Gain a wide variety of experiences, both in and out of the classroom

Impact

· Children are engaged and curious in lessons

· Children are critical and analytical in their thinking, making informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past

· Children are aware of how historical events have shaped the world today, including History at the local and personal level

· Children develop enquiry skills to pursue and investigate their own interests within a topic · Children visit historically relevant sites and museums and learn from visitors to enhance their learning in History and create positive memories

· Children retain learning and can make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning

· Children are able to articulate what they have learned in History and can describe significant periods, events and people from the past

SEN Provision in History

In order to meet the learning needs of all pupils, teachers differentiate History work. They work to meet individual learning needs and to mark work, and plan homework effectively. All pupils have access to a broad and balanced History curriculum. The National Curriculum Inclusion Statement states that teachers should set high expectations for every pupil, whatever their prior attainment. Teachers use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious. Potential areas of difficulty are identified and addressed at the outset. Lessons are planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to pupil’s achievement. In many cases, such planning will mean that pupils with SEND and disabilities will be able to study all aspects of the History Curriculum.