History

Welcome to our history provision! At Navigation, we believe that history provides a rich and fascinating foundation for our young learners. Through our carefully tailored curriculum, we aim to nurture their curiosity about the past, support their historical thinking skills and foster a sense of identity and belonging.

I am sure we can all remember a history topic from school that captivated our imagination and inspired a love of learning, whether it be the gruesome tales of Henry VIII, the mummification of Ancient Egyptians, stories of great leaders, or the lives of ordinary people. We hope that our history curriculum is inspirational and exciting for children. To explain how we teach history, we have broken this page into three broad sections: 

Intent: the knowledge and skills that pupils will gain 

Implementation: how the curriculum developed or adopted by the school is taught 

Impact: the outcomes that pupils achieve as a result of the education they have received

Curriculum Vision Statement:

'By the time children leave Navigation they will have developed their understanding of chronology in addition to particular events and people from history. They will start to understand how history shapes the world today. Children will develop a curiosity about the past and be inspired to apply their knowledge and skills to learn more.' 

Intent:

Our curriculum vision statement outlines our broad goals for history, whereas our whole school curriculum progression map gives a detailed breakdown of what each year group is taught.  There is also an overview of the different units of work that each year group covers. Go to the bottom of the page and you can open these documents and take a look.

Implementation: 

At Navigation, we teach history throughout all year groups. In EYFS (nursery and reception), the children start learning about the past and present, talking about their experiences and those of their families, then looking at topics which extend their knowledge and understanding of life in the past further. We foster a love for history through imaginative play, storytelling, and hands-on activities. Our little historians explore the past through a variety of engaging resources, including storybooks, historical artifacts, and interactive online games, promoting their understanding of chronology and developing their vocabulary.

From year 1 onwards we follow the National Curriculum. In Key Stage 1 (years 1 and 2),  our history curriculum builds on the foundation laid in the EYFS. We introduce historical concepts, such as change and continuity, through exciting topics like The Great Fire of London and Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Our pupils embark on virtual tours, use sources, and create historical timelines, encouraging deep thinking and fostering strong research skills.

Over the course of the year children will learn different topics, which are taught weekly. Some of these are primarily history based and some are geography based; however, there are transferable skills and knowledge that are mutually supporting. 

In Key Stage 2 (years 3-6), our history provision is organised chronologically. We explore a range of time periods and civilizations, from ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and Greeks to significant events like the WWI. Our curriculum helps students to look at diverse historical sources and develop their sense of chronology. 

At the bottom of the page you can find some suggestions about helping with learning at home.

Cross-curricular opportunities:

History is well-integrated with other subjects throughout the school to provide a holistic approach to learning. For example, during a geography unit on countries and continents, students may explore their historical significance. Moreover, we actively encourage parents to engage in history-related discussions, providing them with stimulating conversation starters or suggesting historical movies or documentaries they can enjoy together at home.

Enrichment:

We celebrate historical achievements through displays, presentations, and class assemblies. We also offer exciting enrichment opportunities, such as visits, inviting guest speakers, or organizing themed dress-up days. This year we have also booked in some exciting virtual reality experiences for the children. Each topic has a series of books which also help promote learning, understanding and a love of reading.

Our history provision at Navigation aims to provide a stimulating and inclusive learning experience for all our pupils. We strive to instill a love for history through a wide range of activities, resources, and cross-curricular links. By nurturing their historical thinking skills and encouraging educational engagement at home, we empower our students to become curious, knowledgeable, and empathetic citizens of the future.

Impact: 

Each subject is driven forward by a member of staff who monitors the attainment and progress of our children. We do this in a variety of ways including speaking to children, looking at their learning in their books, observing lessons and using data gathered from our school’s assessment system. This analysis can then be used to provide support and resources where needed to maintain high standards across all subjects. 

Regular assessments, both formative and summative, are used to monitor our pupils' progress and inform future planning. 

Learning at home:

Here are some suggestions that we hope will help support the children's history learning at home. Click on these links:

1. Horrible Histories Horrible Histories
2. DK Find Out! (https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/)
3. National Geographic Kids (https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/)
4. History for Kids (http://www.historyforkids.net/)
5. KidsKonnect (https://kidskonnect.com/subjects/history/)
6. British Museum for Kids (https://www.britishmuseum.org/learn/schools/)
7. Smithsonian Kids (https://www.si.edu/kids)
8. Ducksters (https://www.ducksters.com/history/)
9. BBC History for Kids (https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/)

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