History

Our History Vision

“A generation which ignores History has no past and no future.” –
ROBERT A HEINLEIN

At Holy Trinity Church School, we want History to fire children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world and help them to understand the diversity of human experience. History is important as it provides children with the opportunities to empathise with others, argue a point of view and reach their own conclusions - essential skills that are prized in adult life. Therefore, we aim for a high-quality history curriculum that has been carefully designed and sequenced to equip our children with a secure, coherent knowledge of British, local and world history. Curriculum content is knowledge and vocabulary rich, in a sequenced chronological order, allowing children to develop their understanding of abstract concepts as they move through school.

By exploring History through our school vision, we hope to give all children the desire to explore our History and ask questions as to why things happened the way they did.

Key Documents

History Policy 2024

History Knowledge Skills and Vocabulary Progression Grid

Implementation:

At Holy Trinity, we use the Uplift Approach to help embed our History knowledge and ensure that it is in our long-term memory. Please see the Uplift Policy to understand this principle in more detail.

At the start of each History unit, we do a prior learning lesson to recap what we have learnt previously in History. By recapping our prior knowledge we embed it within our long-term memory.

We focus on helping children understand that historical events can be interpreted in different ways and that they should always ask searching questions, such as ‘How do we know?’, about information they are given. Learning objectives show progression in how pupils’ thinking and responses develop from simple assertions using description to explanation and analysis.

Across the school, there are different focus areas which link with a previous/future History unit. When looking at a History time period, we ensure we teach what this era is like but we will then look deeper in a specific area. Below are the areas of focus and where they link with a previous/future History unit:

Religion:

Year 2: The Gunpowder Plot – The religious divide of Britain

Year 4: Ancient Egypt - Mummification and the afterlife.

Year 5: Ancient Greeks- Gods and Goddesses and how they worship.

Food:

Year 1: The Great Fire of London – The importance of saving food during the Great Fire of London.

Year 3: Stone Age – Hunting and gathering and comparison with the Iron Age of Farming.

Year 6: The Mayans – Reliance on maize and the importance of chocolate.

Invasions:

Year 2: Nurturing Nurses – The Crimean War and World War I

Year 3: Romans – Caesar’s Invasion

Year 4: Settlers and Invaders (The Saxons and The Vikings) – The raid of Lindisfarne.

Leadership:

Year 1: Ernest Shackleton – Shackleton’s leadership

Year 5: The Victorians - Dr Thomas Barnardo (Barnardos) and Queen Victoria as a leader of a great Empire.

Year 6: World War II – Comparison of Churchill and Hitler.

Impact

We hope by focusing on prior learning each unit, this will embed the children’s long-term memory. The focus areas within the Key Stage 2 curriculum help the children to compare similarities and differences between different time periods.

History in Action:

A Poem written by Annabelle in Class 13 for Holocaust Memorial Day:

People and Place Day – January 2024

We held a school People and Place Day, This day links with both History and Geography where we learnt about a significant individual who influenced the UK. Below you can see which significant individual each year group found out about and why they influenced the UK.

Reception - David Attenborough (United Kingdom): Renowned naturalist and broadcaster, educating children about the wonders of the natural world and conservation.

Year 1 - Yuri Gagarin (Russia): The first human in space, sparking interest in space exploration and the wonders beyond our planet.

Year 2 - William the Conqueror (France): Norman conqueror who shaped England's history after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Year 3 - Matsuo Basho (Japan): Haiku master and poet, introducing children to the beauty of nature and concise, expressive writing.

Year 4 -Mahatma Gandhi (India): Leader of the Indian independence movement, whose philosophy of nonviolence inspired civil rights movements globally, including in the UK.

Year 5 - Nelson Mandela (South Africa): Anti-apartheid revolutionary and former President of South Africa, whose global influence included inspiring movements for equality in the UK.

Year 6 – Marie Curie (Poland/France): Renowned scientist born in Poland, who made significant contributions to the fields of physics and chemistry and impacted scientific advancements in the UK.