At Park Primary School we want children to be historians as we believe that it is vital for children to understand the past which in turn helps them make sense of the present, future and the world around them. Here at Park, we create ample opportunities for children to identify similarities and differences within historical time periods, ask and answer questions, and justify and critically evaluate sources of evidence to ensure that children are empowered to form their own judgement.
History teaching at Park aims to spark curiosity of the past. In KS1, the children learn about significant people and periods of history where they can make connections to their everyday lives such as toys in Year 1 and the Great Fire of London in Year 2.
As children move into KS2, they will deepen their understanding of the past by looking at significant changes through time, including through the local area. The history curriculum is sequenced in chronological order (apart from Ancient Egypt which is in Year 5) so that children are able to make connections to the other ancient civilisations that they have learnt about. In Year 6, the children conduct longitudinal studies about Crime and Punishment and Rights Movements where they are able to make connections across historical time periods.
In KS2, history topics at Park follow this sequence in order for the children to make connections between the historical time periods:
- When
- Where
- Local links
- Role of women
- Children/school
- Visit
- Migration
- Mythology/religion
- Culture/art (e.g. coliseum, Viking runes, Greek pottery, cave paintings)
In KS1, links will be made to these areas where appropriate. Learning history at Park Primary School goes beyond the classroom and children are given many enrichment opportunities as part of the wider curriculum. We offer a variety of educational visits such as historical walks around London, Transport Museum, the British Museum, Tower of London to name just a few.