History

History is the story of the people on our planet. It is the human story. The story of everything that people have ever done since recognisable humans first evolved between 150 000 and 200 000 years ago. It is the story of changing human cultures, politics, lifestyles, beliefs and creativity.

History is much more than a record of events. History is the process of enquiry, the search for evidence and the examination of this evidence by sorting, evaluating and weighing it.

Historians use this evidence to imaginatively reconstruct the past - but this is nearly always incomplete. So Historians use their skills to fill in the gaps and imagine and infer how it might have been.

Intent:

Children at DPA will learn about the past in order to understand the present. History is much more than a record of events; it is the examination of the past which demands critical use of evidence. History is the process of enquiry. Children at DPA will learn how to enquire and analyse evidence to fill in the gaps and imagine and infer how events/significant people in history might have been.

Implement:

Our curriculum at DPA allows our pupils to ask and answer questions, developing connections between past events and significant people, within their community and beyond. A typical lesson will include an understanding of chronology of the event/significant person being taught. Children will be taught relevant facts based on the intended outcome of the task or topic.

Lessons include and develop enquiry skills, allowing all pupils experience an exciting and relevant history curriculum which nurtures their curiosity about the past and their own place in the world. Questioning is highly important and encouraged; children’s questions will be answered either within the planned learning or through research completed with the children to find answers together collaboratively.

From their learning, children will have a deepened knowledge and understanding of chronology and their awareness of how our lives have been shaped by the past and how events from the past inform the future.

Impact:

As a result of children engaging in enquiry based learning and and children partaking in meaningful learning experiences, such as trips, all learners ask meaningful questions and gain a better understanding of our world and history.

Updated: June 2023

	What will my child learn each year?
	Autumn 1	Autumn2	Spring 1	Spring 2	Summer 1	Summer 2
Nursery	Family history and how they have changed since they were a baby.	Introduced to theme of monarch through stories: Kings and Queens	Roles of people who help us.	Non fiction books about life in the past	Talking about past events	Significant figures. Life and transport in the past.
Reception	Famous explorers	How have vehicles and machines changed over time	How has school changed over time	Farming in the past	Endangered animals - introduction to cause and effect	Seaside holidays in the past - compare and contrast
Year 1	Childhood: Vocabulary of time and introduced to artefacts, comparing to current items. Exploring our monarchy.		Bright lights Big City: Deepen the understanding of monarchy. Great Fire of London - chronology, causes and consequences.		School days: Introduction to Victorian era comparing to school life today.
Year 2	Movers and Shakers: Focus on significant people in history: activists, explorers, monarchs and scientists.		Magnificent Monarchs: Introduction to concepts of historical periods in British History. Introduction to understanding of sources and symbolism.		Coast line Concepts of continuity and change. SS Rohilla Disaster.
Year 3	Through the ages: Historical research: Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age: settlements, every day life. Develop understanding of cause and effect.		Rocks, Relics and Rumbles Revisit Mary Anning and legacy of her work and influence on the history of science. Consider cause and effect of the destruction of Pompeii.		Emperors and Empires: Hierarchy and power. Growth of the Roman empire. Explore daily life in Roman Britain. Introduce concept of rebellion and defence.
Year 4			Invasion: Revisit causes and effects of the end of Roman rule. Cause, consequence and impact of the invasion of the Anglo Saxons. Every day lives of people in Anglo Saxon Britain. Viking raids, Cause and effect of Norman invasion.		Ancient Civilisations: Characteristics of a civilisation. Study of the ancient Sumer. Life in the world's first cities and social hierarchy. Study Ancient Egypt and compare civilisation to Sumer. Consider how civilisations decline.
Year 5	Groundbreaking Greeks: Compare British, world and Greek history. Learn about the roles of men and women, achievements and influence of Ancient Greeks into the wider world. Consider how the Ancient Greek Civilisation ended and Roman rule of Greece began. Consider legacy of ancient Greece on the modern world.		Dynamic Dynasties: History of Ancient China. Study myth of the Yellow Emperor and the concept of a dynasty.
Year 6	Britain at War: Overview of significant conflicts. Causes of First World Way and second world war. Make connections and draw contrasts between both conflicts. Impact on war on every day life.		Revisit concept of exploration. Describe significant achievements of explorers in the polar regions.		Maafa: learn about Africa as the 'cradle of humankind.' Study Kingdom of Aksum, Kingdom of Benin and the Mali Empire. Triangular slave trade and abolition of slavery.