‘A high-quality history education 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.’

(National Curriculum)

At St Peter’s, we strive for pupils to engage their natural curiosity in History by equipping them to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement as they learn about different eras in time. As week seek to live ‘Life in all its fullness’, our History curriculum 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. History also gives pupils the opportunity to consider how these aspects of people’s lives in the past have impacted how we live and work as a society today.

Through our History curriculum, pupils are able to study the events and lives of people from various periods in British and global history: from the Stone Age through Ancient Civilizations and Empires to the Middle Ages and beyond. We study what working life was like for everyday people as well as looking at key individuals and how they influenced society then and now. Pupils use skills as historians to uncover the impact these historical periods had on the people at the time and right up to the present day. Each history unit follows the same structure of historical study:

• a hook lesson to engage and excite the pupils about their new topic
• opportunities for pupils to gather information about their period of study
• pupils make sense of and process the information
• pupils draw their own conclusions
• understanding is developed and refined through the addition of new information
• pupils create a final outcome

Inspired by our school motto 'Learn to Live', first founded in 1962, we strive for children to appreciate their role in history - understanding that history is ever building and changing.  As we learn and live through history, we seek to build excitement and curiosity - embracing new discoveries that allow us to reflect on our own sense of place, both past and present.

As stated in the national curriculum for history, we aim for all our children to:

• 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.

We strive to embed our values in all areas of school life, promoting them as a guide for flourishing in life and learning.

As historians, we:

• CELEBRATE the achievements of the past and recognise how they have shaped the present day.
• Show KINDNESS by developing empathy for people in the past and understanding the experiences, challenges and achievements that shaped their lives.
• Demonstrate PERSEVERANCE as we investigate historical questions, analyse evidence and overcome challenges in our search for understanding.
• Value HONESTY by examining evidence critically, recognising different perspectives and forming balanced conclusions about the past.
• Nurture CURIOSITY by asking thoughtful questions, exploring historical mysteries and seeking to understand how the past has shaped the present.

Through our history curriculum, children learn about the events and lives of people from various periods in British and global history: from the Stone Age through Ancient Civilizations and Empires to the Middle Ages and beyond. We study what working life was like for everyday people as well as looking at key individuals and how they influenced society then and now. 

Our children use skills as historians to uncover the impact these historical periods had on the people at the time and right up to the present day - engaging in the following enquiry cycle:

• a hook lesson to engage and excite 
• information gathering about their period of study
• making sense of and processing information
• drawing their own conclusions
• developing understanding and perspective through new information
• create a final outcome

Subject Lead: Mrs Carr