God wants me to be the best me I can be in...

History.

The exciting things I will learn in History at St Joseph’s are:

History is taught using an adapted Collins scheme, ensuring lessons are engaging, progressive and fully aligned with the National Curriculum for History. This approach helps pupils develop a coherent understanding of the past and the skills to investigate and interpret it.

• Chronological Understanding: Pupils learn the history of Britain as a coherent narrative, from the earliest times to the present, exploring how lives, events and ideas have shaped the nation and how Britain has interacted with the wider world.

• Global Perspective: Children study significant aspects of the wider world, including ancient civilisations, empires, past non-European societies and human achievements.

• Historical Concepts: Pupils develop a clear understanding of terms such as empire, civilisation, parliament, and peasantry and grasp concepts like continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference and significance.

• Enquiry and Evidence: Lessons teach pupils how to use historical evidence rigorously, evaluate source  and understand contrasting interpretations of the past.

• Analytical and Communication Skills: Pupils make connections, analyse trends, frame questions, and create structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses.

• Context and Perspective: Pupils place knowledge into local, regional, national, and international contexts, linking cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history, and comparing short- and long-term timescales

The exciting things that take place in History are:

• Exciting weekly lessons where we learn about the past. 
• Curriculum days to expand our hands-on learning experiences.
• Take part in Lancashire Day annually.

• Handle and study artefacts to explore how people lived in the past.

• Explore timelines to understand the order and impact of key events.

• Visit historical sites and museums to bring learning to life.

• Research famous people and leaders and present findings in creative ways.

• Compare past and present to see how life has changed over time.

• Build models of historical places or buildings, like castles or ancient monuments.

• Investigate ancient civilizations and explore their achievements and inventions.

• Use maps and primary sources to understand historical events and locations.

• Use high quality resources and artefacts.

Why do I need to know this?

Through learning History, we hope to stimulate the pupils' interest and understanding about the world around them and the lives of people who lived in the past. We aim to teach children a sense of chronology and through this they develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. As a Catholic school, we believe that children should learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain and the world. Through considering how people lived in the past, they are better able to make their own life choices today. We teach children to understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today; we also teach them to investigate these past events and to develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem-solving. Children should know that they have the potential to make history. 

History in EYFS

In EYFS, children begin to explore history through themselves, their families and their community. They learn to recognise past and present by reflecting on their own lives, observing changes and understanding growth over time. They discover the roles of people who help us and the impact of key local figures or superheroes, developing an awareness of how individuals can influence their community. Through festivals and cultural events like Diwali and Guy Fawkes, they explore traditions, stories and celebrations, linking these to historical events. Children also learn about how the world has changed over time by engaging with texts, stories, and images that illustrate events from the past, helping them connect history to their own experiences.

What do we say about History? 

G in Penguins class, "I love learning about people in the Stone Age and looking at the sources”

O in Eagles class, “It is really interesting to learn about the past”