Download History Policy - One World Preparatory School

History Policy
Introduction
At One World Preparatory School, we believe that History enables children to develop
thinking and research skills that are applicable to their everyday lives. History offers
the opportunity for children to learn about people’s lives and events in both the recent
and more distant past, and introduces them to what is involved in understanding and
interpreting this information.
In accordance with the revised National Curriculum, we believe that History ‘will help
pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the
wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching
should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift
arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand
the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and
relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges
of their time’ (The National Curriculum in England Framework Document (DfE) 2014).
Aims
Our aims are to ensure:

that all pupils know and understand the history of these islands as a
coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present
day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has
influenced and been influenced by the wider world;

that all pupils know and understand significant aspects of the history of
the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations, the expansion and
dissolution of empires, characteristic features of past non-European
societies, achievements and follies of mankind;

that all pupils gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of
abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’;

that all pupils understand historical concepts such as continuity and
change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance,
and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame
historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts,
including written narratives and analyses;

that all pupils understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how
evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and
why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been
constructed;

that all pupils gain historical perspective by placing their
knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections
local, regional, national and international history; between
economic, military, political, religious and social history; and
short- and long-term timescales;
growing
between
cultural,
between
(The National Curriculum in England Framework Document (DfE) 2014)

that pupils understand the present in the context of the past;

that pupils’ interest in the past is engendered and enquiry is encouraged;

that pupils understand how people and societies have developed over
time, and through that understanding gain a sense of identity;

that other areas of the curriculum are enriched and supported.
Teaching and Learning
Curriculum content is based on the Learning Challenge Programme of Study for History,
developed by Focus Education (UK) to meet the demands of the 2014 National
Curriculum. The scheme is supplemented with other resources, including Galore Park
History at Key Stage 2. Throughout the school, children are provided with a variety of
opportunities to develop and extend their understanding of History in and across each
phase of education.
At Key Stage 1, children learn about the recent past through the lives and lifestyles of
familiar people, and about the more distant past through the lives of famous people
and well-known events.
The Key Stage 1 areas of study are:

changes in our own lives and the way of life of family or others;

the ways of life of people in the more distant past;

the lives of significant men, women and children;

past events.

compare aspects of life today and in the past, finding similarities and
differences;

discuss and write about events and people’s actions, and the reasons for
them;

investigate the past using a variety of sources of information.
Pupils:
At Key Stage 2, children learn about people and important events in the past. The Key
Stage 2 areas of study are:

Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in Britain (invaders and settlers);

life in Tudor times;

the Stuarts and the English Civil War;

the Georgians;

Victorian Britain;

European history - Ancient Greece;

Ancient Egypt;

the Aztecs.

make links across different historical periods;
Pupils:

learn about different aspects of British and world history;

discuss reasons and effects of events or changes;

carry out historical enquiries using various information sources, and look
at differing interpretations of the past;

use their understanding of chronological order and historical vocabulary
when talking or writing about the past.
Across each phase of education, children are encouraged to develop a range of skills,
including those of sequencing, observation, questioning, evaluation and deduction.
Curriculum Planning and Organisation
At One World Preparatory School, teachers collaborate on the planning of subjects to
ensure parity in provision and to share expertise. Curriculum planning is managed in
three phases, namely:
Long Term Planning

details what is to be taught over the year;

provides teaching guidelines and overall objectives for each year group for
the whole year.
Medium Term Planning

organises the subject into termly or half-termly sections;

is more detailed and the objectives are more specific in nature;

is developed by the teachers, who respond to the needs of their pupils;

ensures a balanced distribution of work is undertaken across each term.
Short Term Planning

details the subject curriculum over the week;

plans lessons in detail with specific class objectives;

sets individual learning goals for each pupil.
Links with ICT
The use of information and communication technology promotes, enhances and
supports the teaching of History at One World Preparatory School.
Inclusion
We believe that we are an educationally inclusive school. We are concerned about the
teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of all our pupils, and
work hard to offer equality of opportunity to every child in our school. We believe that
every child has the right to access high quality educational experiences and to take part
in a broad and balanced curriculum, and that all children should be encouraged to fulfil
their potential in their academic, physical and creative achievements.
Differentiation
Differentiation is best defined as ‘the process by which differences between learners are
accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of
learning’’ (Geoff Petty).
The main purpose of differentiation is to challenge and raise standards of learning by
ensuring that curriculum objectives are accessible to all children despite their
backgrounds or abilities. At One World Preparatory School, we see differentiation as a
form of integration and not exclusion.
Differentiation must reflect learning objectives and can be achieved in a variety of ways,
either by task, by support or by outcome. It should be chosen by fitness for purpose.
At One World, we want all children to achieve success; therefore, we ensure they are
given differentiated tasks that are matched to their level of attainment so that they can
demonstrate successfully what they know, understand and can do. The main feature of
effective differentiation is good planning, resulting in effective teaching and learning,
with children making good progress. We expect to see in all classes interested and
well-motivated children responding to challenges, working productively on task and
being aware of their own progression.
Special Educational Needs
At One World Preparatory School, we want pupils with identified special educational
needs to have full access to all subjects of the curriculum, with teachers planning
lessons that have no barriers to pupils achieving and with appropriate targets relating to
the subject.
Assessment for Learning
Teachers will:

carry out continuous assessment;

use short-term assessments matched to the teaching objectives to adjust
their planning;

make comments in pupil's books related to the teaching objective;

carry out medium-term assessments to measure progress against key
objectives to adjust planning;

carry out long-term assessment to assess progress against school and
national targets;

carry out tests at the end of each term;

use long-term assessments to help them plan for the next academic year;

inform parents and carers of their child's progress and targets.
Monitoring & Review of the Subject
Monitoring of standards of children's work and the quality of teaching is the
responsibility of the Head Teacher.
Standards are monitored by:

looking at pupils’ work;

subject observations;

pupil discussions;

audit of subjects;

scrutiny of planning;

general curriculum discussions.
Resources
The school has a full range of resources to support the teaching of this subject.
Resources are upgraded and replenished when the need arises. An annual stock take
and audit is undertaken by the Head Teacher in the Summer Term in preparation for
the next academic year.
Monitoring the Effectiveness of the Policy
The practical application of this policy will be reviewed annually or when the need arises
by the Head Teacher and the Proprietor.
Head Teacher:
Date:
Proprietor:
Date: