History

Our vision

At St. Patricks, we believe that History lessons should inspire children to be curious and creative thinkers. We strive to achieve this through providing a high quality curriculum which gives children a coherent knowledge of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.

Through studying the past, we aim to equip all children with the skills to be able to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence and develop a confident understanding of historical events that have shaped our world today.

How history is implemented

Our History curriculum is supported by the KAPOW scheme of work. This delivers a rich, knowledge-based curriculum that builds children’s understanding of the past while developing key historical skills. This is implemented through carefully sequenced lessons, engaging activities, and a strong emphasis on enquiry-based learning.

Children study three history units in each year group with each unit lasting for one half term. Each unit begins with the introduction of a key enquiry question. This question encourages curiosity and gives purpose to each lesson, driving learning throughout the topic. Such questions also help children connect new knowledge and reflect on what they have learned by the end of the unit.

Assessment is woven throughout each unit. We use questioning, quizzes, and end-of-unit tasks to check understanding and measure progress. The final outcome often links back to the initial enquiry question, allowing children to demonstrate what they have learned in a meaningful way.

Lessons

History lessons St. Patricks are designed and delivered so that they are interactive and engaging. All children, including those with SEND, are supported to access history lessons through adaptive teaching, scaffolding of tasks and additional support if needed.

Lessons are structured in order to build both substantive knowledge (facts about the past) and disciplinary knowledge (how historians work). For example, children explore concepts such as chronology, cause and consequence, change and continuity, and historical significance. Teachers explicitly model these skills and revisit them regularly to deepen understanding. Children may take part in discussions, role-play, debates, or group tasks. These opportunities allow them to articulate their ideas, challenge each other’s thinking, and develop historical reasoning skills.

Individual history lessons will often begin with a retrieval activity to reinforce prior learning. This helps children make links between topics and strengthens long-term memory. New content is then introduced in small, manageable steps, often supported by high-quality visuals, storytelling, and teacher explanations. This ensures history learning at st. Patricks is enjoyable, accessible and highly engaging for all children.

Children at st. Patricks have access to a variety of historical sources and carefully chosen resources to supplement their learning . These may include photos, artefacts, written documents, and videos some of which we loan through Lancashire heritage learning scheme. School trips with a historical focus help to further enrich and deepen their understanding and experience of history.

Impact

Through carefully structured, engaging history lessons, children at St. Patricks gain:

· A secure knowledge and understanding of key events that shaped the past both nationally and globally

· Key historical vocabulary which can be confidently used in discussion and writing.

· A clear understanding of chronology and how periods of history connect.

· The ability to think like a historian and ask and answer questions using evidence to back up thinking.

· The ability to explain key concepts such as cause, change, and significance.

· A high level of curiosity, engagement in lessons and a love of history learning