HISTORY

INTENT

At the Berkeley Academy, we STRIVE to do our best and to develop pupils’ understanding of the key events and significant individuals that helped shape Britain as it is today.  We aim to:

• Foster an understanding of the wider world and how people have developed from prehistory to today.
• Develop key history skills from Nursey through to year 6 that will enable pupils to analyse, evaluate, reflect and compare the knowledge that is shared with them.
• Develop a keen understanding of the present by learning about how it has been influenced by the past.
• Encourage pupils to develop an identity and an understanding of what it means to grow up in Britain.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Using the Focus Education planning as a basis, pupils at The Berkeley will engage in carefully planned and considered History lessons that will develop their chronological understanding through careful sequencing of periods of history in an order.

• Lessons are adapted and differentiation where necessary to ensure that all pupils can access the learning.

• They will discover about the rich local history of Crewe and Nantwich and in some cases, link events from the past to similar locally.

• The pupils in our Early Years classes will begin to learn historical skills through our class memory boxes and within the Understanding of the World section of the EYFS framework where children will learn about the past and present and people’ cultures and communities.

• Through the use of history subject books that move through school as pupils go from year to year, they will be able to reflect and recall prior learning and also understand how themes in history have changed or continued over time.

• By looking at common key concepts within each topic, the pupils will be able to build upon what they have already learned and this will engage and enthuse them to develop a love for learning about the past.

• Throughout our history topics, trips, theme days and visitors are carefully planned in to help link learning to practical experiences and create lasting memories.

Assessment

• Each year group topic plan has a clear set of intended outcomes. These are used to assess the pupils’ knowledge and understanding at the end of each lesson.
• These formative assessments are used by teachers to gain a clear vision of the pupils’ progress through a topic and accumulation of knowledge over time.

IMPACT

Pupils will leave The Berkeley as historians with a good knowledge of numerous key events in the past and their chronology. The pupils will have:

• Studied significant individuals from the past and how they have had an impact.
• Questioned, thought critically and looked at both evidence and arguments, to develop perspectives about why events have happened and what this has meant for Britain today.
• Looked at, reflected on and analysed numerous primary and secondary sources which will have enabled them to challenge and build on their knowledge.
• Experienced many history based trips, themed days and visitors which help to embed their learning and offer lasting memories.
• Developed a life-long learning for the subject and enjoyed learning about the past and its significance.
• Developed competence and confidence in their own ability in a range of History skills