History

Intent

• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
• gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
• understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts: understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales

At Sowe Valley Primary School our intent is to provide broad, challenging and inspiring themes which create a love of learning and a passion for history.   We will help pupils gain a secure, coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Children will gain knowledge of ancient civilisations and empires; changes in living memory and beyond living memory; the lives of significant people of the past through the methods of historical enquiry and will be able to ask and answer questions to further their knowledge and understanding.

At Sowe Valley, we believe it is an essential that our children have a deep understanding of the rich history of Coventry and have designed our curriculum to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the place in which they live. Our curriculum is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is built upon the foundations of previous knowledge, developing an understanding of chronology and that the school’s approaches allow for children to develop a range of skills needed to become competent historians.

As our progression is planned in knowledge, skills and vocabulary, we are determined that by the end of year 6, our pupils will have the cultural capital to be successful in History in their secondary school.

Immersion

• Every child will have the opportunity to visit places of historical interest to enrich their learning.
• Every child will visit the theatre.
• Every child will visit a museum.

Every child will have the experience of filling and burying a time capsule.