Intent

At Co-op Academy Nightingale we are covering the full National Curriculum in History. We study history through the prism of food, shelter and hierarchy and power. These three key areas will be revisited progressively through each stage of the history curriculum to empower our children to develop the historical skill of compare and contrast through a similar pillar of historical enquiry. Food and shelter draws on the experience our pupils will already have and will enable them to study history with a familiar idea regardless of when they join our school. Hierarchy and power will provide our children with a deeper level of understanding of governance, authority and how rules and laws are made as well as providing an understanding of how the actions of people in power impact on others and their own lives today. For example, our children will learn about the role of the monarchy in Year One when studying Queen Elizabeth II and will review, embed and question the role of a monarch when studying Henry VIII in Year 5. 

History is effectively planned and sequenced to maximise children’s knowledge and skills to embed in their long term memory. We will teach children powerful, culturally rich knowledge in a way that ensures they are most likely to remember and apply these skills to the circumstances of their lives. The history curriculum is successfully adapted to meet the needs of all children by ensuring practical, immersive and hands on teaching that promotes independence and fluency. 

At Co-op Academy Nightingale, our history curriculum focuses on four main historical concepts that progress year after year:

• Chronology – all our children will know when periods of History happened compared to others and can talk about this clearly by the end of KS2. 
• Significant People – all children will know what makes a person significant in history, to study individuals and investigate the choices they made and why, and compare different people throughout history and the impact their actions had on others at the time and nowadays.
• Significant Events – all children will study significant events throughout history and understand why they were significant to the people at the time and how they have impacted our lives today. 
• British/Local History – all our children will learn and know about their local community and the significant role they can and will play in it. They will also know the key events in British history and how this has had an impact on our lives today. 

All of our children, no matter when they have joined us, will leave at the end of KS2 with an understanding of these historical concepts.
 

Implementation

We deliver our history curriculum through projects and the online software ‘Curriculum Maestro’ from Cornerstones to support our sequential planning and teacher subject knowledge.

History is taught through projects from Reception – Year 6 in our school. Through the projects, the curriculum for history, geography, art & design, design & technology and music are delivered to all pupils. Projects can range to a half term in length (6 weeks) to 8-9 weeks depending on the amount of knowledge that must be covered and consolidated before moving onto the next. Every project has a driver subject that will remain the constant focus throughout. In Reception, the projects focus on an area of learning and development from Development Matters. The history curriculum is taught through ‘Understanding of the World’. The children in Reception develop their historical knowledge and skills by focusing on their local environment and understanding the chronology and past events of their own lives. From Year 1 to Year 6, pupils learn historical knowledge and skills through driver-led projects. In key stage 1, the children study history by looking at and questioning artefacts and beginning to compare the historical eras studied to their lives today. In key stage 2, the pupils have acquired the historical knowledge and skill to compare and contrast historical eras studied against each other, as well as understanding the value and having the ability to interpret primary and secondary sources. Throughout all year groups, there is a focus on key vocabulary that is revisited throughout different year groups. This is displayed in the classrooms as well as taught explicitly to all pupils through history lessons. 

On our journey on implementing our history curriculum, we have developed detailed project overviews that support the teachers in planning sequentially and knowing the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary that the children must know by the end of the project. The Rosenshine Principles are a key part of our planning for projects ensuring that, for example, previously taught knowledge is continually reviewed and recapped so that links can be made to new knowledge. Every project from Reception to Year 6 begins with a memorable experience. This may include an external educational visit, inviting a guest into school or a debate within the classroom. The focus of this is to identify the previous knowledge of the pupils and make immediate links to other historical projects taught in previous years. Every project finishes with an innovate week. Throughout this week the pupils will create something – a play, a battle reenactment, an informative magazine – that demonstrates the knowledge that they have acquired from the previous week’s teaching. 

To ensure the quality of history teaching is at it’s best at Co-op Academy Nightingale, moderation of workbooks, lesson visits and pupil voice learning parties take place regularly throughout each half term. This is led by our curriculum team, particularly our history subject leader, and overseen by SLT. 
 

Impact

At Co-op Academy Nightingale our children will leave us the skills to be analytical of any period in history. They will understand the links between chronology, significant people and significant events and know in more detail about specific studies both local and national in scale. They will have developed historical investigation skills which allow them to compare and contrast different periods  as well as the implications of those periods on others and the present day.

Our children will be able to make broad, informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past. They will have developed the ability to evaluate and make judgements based on their prior learning and then apply it to new information to draw conclusions.

They will be able to speak with confidence about the impact of history on our lives today as well as having a deeper understanding of their local area and it’s development over the course of history.

Our history curriculum is cyclical and revisits the same concepts to ensure that children are able to build upon prior learning and deepen understanding. This also ensures that no matter what point a child joins us at they have the opportunity to develop these skills.