History

At Moorlands Academy we want history to fire children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world and help them to understand the diversity of human experience. History is important as it provides children with the opportunities to empathise with others, argue a point of view and reach their own conclusions. These are essential skills that are prized in adult life.

Using Cornerstones’ high-quality history curriculum, that has been carefully designed and sequenced, to equip our children with a secure, coherent knowledge of British, local and world history. Curriculum content is knowledge and vocabulary rich, in a sequenced chronological order, allowing children to develop their understanding of abstract concepts as they move through school. We intend to inspire pupils to develop a broad historical and cultural awareness by:

• Providing opportunities for children to develop a chronological framework by investigating the past and how it influences the present.

• Encouraging children to interrogate evidence and form their own opinions.

• Enabling children to communicate their view points in a variety of ways using appropriate vocabulary.

• Exploring a range of sources of information.

• Fostering enjoyment, empathy and curiosity for finding out about the past.

History at Moorlands is delivered by class teachers or HLTAs following the ‘Cornerstones’ scheme of work. This supports the attainment targets set out in the National Curriculum (2014). Wherever possible, children will experience a hands-on, enquiry-led approach to history.

The history projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s historical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. Key aspects and concepts, such as chronology, cause and effect, similarity and difference, significance and hierarchy, are revisited throughout all projects and are developed over time. All projects also develop historical skills based on evidence and historical enquiry. The choice of historical periods follows the guidance set out in the national curriculum, with specific details relating to significant events and individuals chosen to present a rich and diverse account of British and world history.
Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, history projects are sequenced accordingly. For example, the project Dynamic Dynasties is taught alongside the art and design project Taotie to give children a better all-round understanding of ancient Chinese arts and culture. All history projects are taught in the autumn and summer terms, with opportunities for schools to revisit historical concepts in some of the spring term geography projects.

The Moorlands History curriculum follows the Cornerstones scheme of work.

Planned Coverage for 2023-24:

As with all subjects, our teachers follow the school Assessment Policy. In History, the expectation is that pre and post assessment and retrieval tasks will be planned into units and individual lessons to provide evidence of progress and of knowledge and concepts from within and across units and Year Groups having been committed to long-term memory.