History
Our history curriculum follows the content and sequencing of the Primary Knowledge Curriculum (PKC), designed to be both knowledge-rich and coherently structured. It enables children to develop a secure understanding of local, British, and world history, building knowledge progressively and chronologically. Knowledge in history encompasses not only substantive facts about events, dates, and people, but also substantive historical concepts such as empire, monarchy, and civil war, alongside disciplinary concepts such as evidence, causation, significance, and interpretation.
From the EYFS stage, children begin to explore their own past, families, and personal change, alongside historical changes in transport, nature, and extinct animals like dinosaurs. They learn about notable explorers and achievements, beginning to understand change over time, cause and effect, and the diversity of people, places, and habitats. These early experiences lay the foundation for historical thinking and form the basis for understanding more complex concepts in later years.
Understanding in history requires an appreciation of causation. Children explore the causes of significant national and global events, such as World War I, by first learning about preceding events and processes, including the origins and growth of European empires, including the British Empire. Knowledge of substantive and disciplinary concepts is interleaved across the curriculum, allowing children to encounter and apply these ideas in multiple contexts. Concepts such as monarchy are revisited across multiple years to develop a deep, contextual understanding of historical change and continuity. For example, children begin learning about British monarchs in Year 1 and build their knowledge through the study of figures such as Henry II, Henry VIII, and Queen Elizabeth I. This progression helps children understand the transition from the autocratic power of early monarchs to the limited constitutional role of contemporary British monarchs, analysing the impact of monarchy on the lives of British people as well as the significance of individual rulers.
The curriculum is balanced to enable children to explore history at local, national, and global levels. Pupils examine the connections between significant events, people, and the modern world. Units are structured to provide an overview of a period before studying aspects in more depth. Each year, children study at least one unit of British history focusing on turning points that shaped modern Britain, such as the sealing of the Magna Carta, the break with Rome, the Glorious Revolution, and the British Empire. Units develop understanding of political context before examining cultural, social, and religious aspects. For example, when studying the Victorians, pupils explore Queen Victoria, the British Empire, and legal reforms, then consider how political changes affected ordinary lives. Teachers incorporate local context to connect local stories to the broader narrative of British history.
The curriculum also helps children understand how history is constructed and contested. Pupils begin by learning about the role of historians, exploring sources and perspectives. As knowledge grows, they develop skills to ask perceptive questions, analyse complex sources, and form historical perspectives. Disciplinary concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, and similarity, difference, and significance are explored in every unit and applied across the curriculum.
Alongside British and local history, pupils explore world history, covering ancient civilizations, empires, and the achievements and challenges of societies globally. Units such as the Early British Empire and the Transatlantic Slave Trade examine both Britain’s influence on the world and the world’s influence on Britain, providing pupils with a comprehensive understanding of global history and their place within it.
The curriculum introduces children to a wide variety of historical figures, from widely known to lesser known, offering insight into life in the past. Figures studied include Aristotle, Martin Luther King, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Alan Turing. Through these stories, pupils develop understanding of law and power, industrialisation, technological advances, migration, exploitation, and movements for freedom and equality.
The PKC history curriculum aims to ignite curiosity and love for history while equipping children with the knowledge and skills necessary for Key Stage 3 and beyond. By the end of primary education, pupils have a deep understanding of historical concepts, processes, and narratives, enabling them to explore the past with insight and confidence.
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