Our history curriculum aims to assist pupils with the understanding of their own heritage as well as the heritage of others.  Our curriculum is sequentially built up from Early Years, allowing children to build on secure knowledge as they progress throughout school.

Historical understanding is a vital cog in our pupils understanding of diversity and equality.  Pupils are encouraged to ask questions, use both primary and secondary sources to analyse big concepts and understand cultures throughout the world. 

In building future historians, we ensure our children have opportunities to visit historical places of interest that will add to their understanding of a period of time and have access to primary sources through museum loans, both of which add the dimension of ensuring history is exciting, thorough and engaging.  Skills of enquiry, investigation, evaluation and presentation are explored.  In addition, clear historical vocabulary is mapped out throughout school to ensure our children become fluent speakers and writers within history.

High-quality texts are placed within each historical topic.  This allows our children to engage with history in a different way and fosters shared reading within history.  

As with all our subjects, key knowledge and over-arching substantive concepts (such as invasion or industry) are re-visited regularly through a variety of retrieval skills to ensure there are solid connections that the children can build upon as they move through school. Lessons are taught in blocks and begin with something of curiosity that ignites engagement and passion within the subject.  As teaching progresses, children build up to showing off their knowledge through a double page spread.  Once a year, our entrance corridor displays double page spreads on a large scale and enables children to know that history is important.  This approach gives children the autonomy to present the knowledge they have learned in an individual style as well as giving them the opportunity to bring in learning from home into their subjects.  

What our children think about History at Great Eccleston Copp CE Primary School :

"History improves your understanding of the world today", Year 3 child

"We learn lots of interesting facts", Year 1 child

"I enjoy showing off my knowledge in double page spreads", Year 6 child

"The words can be difficult to understand, but I get used to them ecah lesson", Year 5 child

"I enjoy looking at the pictures", Reception child