History Implementation

At Arbury, we use an enquiry-based approach to teach history whereby each topic is framed upon a key question and several ancillary questions. Each history unit has a ‘Knowledge Organiser’ which is stuck into children’s books and helps to identify the key knowledge which we wish the children to acquire during the unit.  Across the whole school curriculum, children study the key historical concepts of chronological understanding; understanding of events, people and changes; historical enquiry and interpretation; organisation and communication.

As a school, we have identified four ‘golden threads’ or historical concepts which we feel link the different units across the curriculum and are revisited throughout a child’s time at Arbury. These golden threads include: settlement, migration and exploration; equality and power; legacy; societal change. Each unit will not include every ‘golden thread’ but over a year, children will visit each one at least once. For example, in Year 4 when studying the Romans, children will encounter all four concepts. In Year 1, when learning about the Robert Falcon Scott, the children will encounter the concepts of settlement, migration and exploration and legacy.

To ensure history is exciting and engaging we provide lots of opportunities for our children to develop disciplinary skills alongside their substantive knowledge. Each unit of work has an emphasis on historical enquiry and children get to investigate historically framed enquiry questions. Through using artefacts, sources and high quality images, the children build up their understanding of what an archaeologist and a historian does and how they find out about and piece together the mysteries of the past.

We believe that history should be relevant to the children’s own lives and we are passionate about our children developing a rich understating of their local heritage. We have worked with partners including the University of Cambridge and the Museum of Cambridge to ensure local history is woven into our curriculum and that links with larger historical themes are made. For example, in Year 3 when learning about Stone Age to Iron Age, the children learn about Must Farm in Cambridgeshire where an important Bronze Age settlement has been discovered. They then go on to visit Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire where some of the artefacts, including 3500 year old wooden boats, from Must Farm are being preserved and studied.

Where possible, links are made between history and other subject areas including reading and writing and the art and DT curriculum. For example, when learning about ‘The Great Fire of London’ our children study books and stories about this time in history in their English and Guided Reading lessons. Regular enrichment activities are planned, such as trips and visitors, in order to help immerse the children in their history topics helping to make the learning more memorable and deepen understanding. Every year group has at least one trip that is linked to history. We also have several visitors and experts visit the school such as a real polar explorer who visits year 1.