At Brookhouse Primary School, we believe that History helps children to understand the world in which they live and their place within it. It enables pupils to explore how people, places and societies have changed over time, while developing their curiosity, questioning skills and understanding of the past.

Our History curriculum has been carefully planned to provide pupils with a broad, balanced and progressive understanding of History. Through the study of significant events, people, periods and places, children develop the knowledge and skills needed to investigate the past and think critically about how it has shaped the world today.

Our Aim

We want our pupils to develop a genuine curiosity about the past. Through engaging with people, events, places and historical sources, children learn to question, investigate and make connections.

By the end of primary school, we aim for pupils to have developed a rich and coherent understanding of the past, alongside the confidence to ask questions and investigate historical evidence for themselves.

Most importantly, we want our children to understand that History is not just a collection of dates and facts. It is the story of people, communities and societies, and understanding the past helps us to make sense of the world we live in today.

A Progressive History Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed so that children continually build upon and deepen their previous learning. Where themes are revisited in different year groups, pupils are encouraged to retrieve what they already know, make connections and develop their understanding further.

For example, in Year 1, pupils study The Great Fire of London, learning about life in London and the causes and consequences of this significant event. When they study The Great Plague in Year 4, they draw upon their previous learning to make connections between the two events and explore the period in greater depth.

Similarly, pupils' understanding of families and change over time develops progressively from the Early Years through to Key Stage 1. Children begin by talking about themselves and their families and noticing similarities and differences. They then use photographs, books and other sources to explore how their families have changed over time. By Year 1, pupils are able to recognise the distinction between past and present and begin to sequence events using appropriate vocabulary relating to the passage of time.

Our approach ensures that pupils do not simply revisit the same knowledge. Instead, they revisit, remember and extend their learning, becoming increasingly confident and knowledgeable historians.

Making History Relevant

We believe that History is most meaningful when children can see how it connects to the world around them. Wherever possible, our curriculum therefore includes local History, enabling pupils to explore the people, places and events that have shaped their own community.

For example, in Year 2, pupils study The Place Where I Live, becoming familiar with their local area and beginning to investigate differences between life in the past and present. In Year 3, pupils revisit this knowledge through No Place Like Home, investigating significant changes that have taken place in their local area, why those changes occurred and how they affected the local community.

By making these connections, children begin to understand that History is not simply something that happened a long time ago or somewhere far away. History is all around us and has helped to shape the places and communities we know today. 

Developing Historical Enquiry

Our pupils are encouraged to think and work like historians. They learn to ask questions, examine evidence and consider how we know about the past.

Across the school, pupils develop their ability to:

• develop a secure chronological understanding;

• use historical vocabulary confidently and accurately;

• ask and answer historical questions;

• examine and interpret a range of historical sources;

• identify similarities and differences between periods of History;

• understand change and continuity;

• explore cause and consequence;

• make connections between different historical periods and events;

• understand the significance of important people and events; and

• communicate their historical understanding in a range of ways.

From Local to Global

Our curriculum provides children with opportunities to explore History at different scales. Alongside significant national and international events, pupils investigate their own locality and community, allowing them to develop a strong sense of place and belonging.

For example, in Year 2, pupils explore how seaside holidays have changed over time through their study of Buckets and Spades. They investigate changes in clothing, entertainment and tourism. When they revisit this theme in Year 6 through Beside the Seaside, pupils build upon this knowledge and consider the wider economic and social impact of seaside holidays, as well as the important role that developments in transport played in their evolution.

This progression allows pupils to move from describing what changed to explaining why it changed and considering its wider impact.