At Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, we want pupils to be curious, appreciative and resilient in history learning, and we seek to broaden pupils’ experiences of history, both in and outside of school. It is our aim that pupils will gain a knowledge of both Britain and the wider world’s past, becoming confident in their chronological understanding, and being able to comment on different aspects of time. Pupils will have a comprehensive understanding of their own lives, and the accomplishments that have enabled them to enjoy their lives today.
We encourage pupils to be reflective in their learning and consider the impact of the events of History, and we provide regular opportunities for pupils to think critically and develop a sense of awe and wonder. They will be taught how to enquire and evaluate different sources of evidence and artefacts, to become a universal Historian. Pupils will learn about significant individuals that have contributed to national and global significance.
As Isle of Wight residents, pupils will have the opportunity to delve into our rich historical heritage and explore how their communities have been shaped.
Our history teaching offers opportunities to:
- 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
- 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
- Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
- 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
- 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
- Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
“A person without the knowledge of their past, history or culture is like a tree without roots.”
Marcus Garvey