History

History at Wellington

Intent

At Wellington Primary School we aim to offer a high-quality History education that 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. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Implementation

The National Curriculum is used to plan and deliver the teaching of History at Wellington in a systematic and progressive way.

Our History curriculum enables children to make connections, revise and recap previous History units taught through the use of learning journeys which encapsulate the children’s learning in a personal way. Using pictures, photographs, film clips (primary and secondary), key vocabulary and historical evidence as a starting point, pupils are encouraged to discuss and reason with curiosity what they are presented with and how this can be interpreted. Having studied historical evidence, pupils are encouraged to react to History and use this knowledge to discuss, present, debate, re-enact and write from different historical perspectives. This embeds and consolidates pupils’ understanding of History and its impact on society.

In the wider, broad and balanced curriculum, pupils are exposed to a range of stories and poems from different historical periods and a range of ethnicities, including BAME, with the intention of deepening their knowledge of History further. At Wellington, historical learning is made significantly more memorable due to our carefully planned trips, educational visitors and workshops. History is taught weekly during alternate half terms (alternating with Geography) and the sequence of learning is carefully mapped to ensure that children are not overloaded with information. As part of our focus on oracy, we use various oracy strategies to make the learning more meaningful and memorable.

Impact

The successful approach at Wellington Primary results in a fun, engaging, high-quality History education, which means:

  • Children are engaged, curious and resilient in History lessons and relish the challenge and opportunities for fun that the subject offers.
  • 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 explicitly 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.
  • Children remember more, know more and can do more.

Key Documents

Wellington History Curriculum Overview

WPS History Progression Map 2021-2022