Intent Implementation & Impact

INENT - Our vision for History

At Dobcroft Infant School, we view history not only simple facts and date but encourage pupils to explore the past in an exciting way. History is taught mainly though a topic based approach and gives pupils a chance to explore a wide range of sources from which the past may come alive.

History allows our children to compare and contrast, to examine why things have changed, to learn about historical characters and expand their research skills. We teach children to be open minded and enquiring thinkers who understand cause and effect. We want them to understand how people have lived in the past and compare this to the modern world, so that children can begin to understand their place within the world. History helps children develop empathy and understanding not only for people in who have lived in the past but those they share their lives with today.

Implementation - How History is taught at Dobcroft Infant School

Foundation Stage

In both FS1 and FS2, children learn to talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They learn about similarities and differences between the past and now, for example by exploring artefacts or looking at pictures. The children also use stories and role play to discover more about the past. Our child-led approach to learning means that we explore events and parts of history that are significant to the children, for example learning about Bonfire Night, Diwali and Christmas. 

Key Stage 1

During key stage 1, our children will learn about people’s live and lifestyles. They find out about significant people and events for the recent and more distant past, including those from both Britain and the wider world. They listen and respond to stories and sources of information to help them to ask and answer questions and they learn how the past is different from the present.

We help the children to develop 5 key skills as historians:

1. Chronological understanding – our children will be taught how to place events in chronological order and use words that show a passage of time.
2. Historical enquiry – identifying different ways the past is represented and ask questions about the past.
3. Historical interpretation - Looking at and using books and pictures, stories, eye witness accounts, pictures, photographs, artefacts, historic buildings, museums, galleries, historical sites and the internet to find out about the past.
4. Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past – Describing differences between then and now; recounting the main events from a significant event in history.
5. Organisation and communication – Communicating ideas about people, objects or events from the past in speaking, writing, drawing, role-play, storytelling and using ICT.

The learning experience for children:

What is the breadth of experience provided for our children?

• Quality First teaching: variety of teaching styles, varied stimulus
• Quality Resources: a wide range of books, iPad’s, online resources & programmes, schemes of work to support teaching
• Visits: e.g. Victorian classroom, museum visits, experiences within school.
• Experiences: role-play, what it would be like to live in the past.

IMPACT of History at DIS

We aim for our teaching of History to have a great impact on the lives of our children not only academically, but also in laying the foundations for social mobility through the promotion of British Values & getting them ready for the next stages of their education. We aim to include a diverse range of historical subjects and significant figures to help children learn more about themselves and the wider world. By focusing on key historical concepts such as chronology, causation, significance and change we help to prepare the children as historians for KS2 and beyond.

Inclusion in History

All children will have access to the History curriculum regardless of ability, gender and race. The whole school policy on Equal Opportunities will apply through the history curriculum.  Pupils of all abilities will be taught with their own class. Their thinking will be supported or extended through targeted questioning and scaffolded resources, which will allow for the development of historical enquiry at the appropriate level. As well as drawing on materials from different levels of study, teachers may plan further differentiation by extending or reducing the breadth of study. Teachers provide students with key historical vocabulary, which is sometimes pre-taught to certain pupils. Very occasionally children will require a more bespoke currciculum to access history learning, and we meet each child at their level. They may follow an individualised programme of work or may receive adult support. We strive hard to meet the needs of those pupils with special educational needs, those with disabilities, those learning English as an additional language, and we take all reasonable steps to achieve this.