In History we widen and deepen the essential knowledge, skills and understanding of learners in a variety of ways.

Learners are encouraged to share and reflect upon their own place and role within society which helps to develop their self-esteem. Through building and developing relationships, learners are able to recognise the importance of mutual respect.  Learner’s develop their awareness of empathy and compassion through discussing, questioning and reflecting on topics being learnt.  Links with the local community enables learners’ to understand, challenge and reflect upon changes within society. At school, we emphasise the importance of learners’ understanding their role as a citizen in modern Britain; appreciating differences and similarities; showing tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; being inspired by role models and having ambition to develop their own integrity and self-belief in the world we live in. Across the school at Our Lady’s an awareness of learners’ responsibility as a global citizen is paramount in History lessons; how can learners’ contribute positively to the world around them. Learners’ are continuously encouraged to take risks, solve problems and become self-motivated.

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• know 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

We believe in quality teaching and learning. The aim for our learners is to have a fully encompassing creative curriculum, which engages their imagination and encourages the next steps in their learning. Our subjects are planned in Learning Topics and, wherever possible, seek to involve the learners and their interests in planning.

Each Topic Experience takes appropriate objectives from the National Curriculum and they are then taught creatively to make even the most abstract of ideas real to the children. Each Topic Experience has an exciting start to 'hook' the learners in and ends with a purposeful outcome. Throughout the Topic Experience, learners are encouraged to think about what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they will be able to apply these new skills in a meaningful context. The creativity is backed up by a rigorous set of basic skills.

Cornerstones Education has taken Topic Experiences and mapped out the National Curriculum across each Key Stage and ensures that learners work towards achieving the Programmes of Study outcomes by the end of each Key stage. Using the Cornerstones Topics, teachers are provided with guidance to ensure that can play their part in providing a well thought through broad and balanced curriculum within their year group and how this fits in within the learners whole school experience.  One of the key aims of using this vehicle for our curriculum is to create excited and enthusiastic learners, who have been taught to explore ideas, take risks, solve problems, be inspired as well as inspire those around them, within meaningful contexts. Choosing topics carefully and planning to suit the needs to each cohort of learners: preparing learners who will are able to make positive contributions now and in the future; learners who feel confident to take risks and take their own learning forward; learners who explore ideas and are questions and self-motivated.

Key Stage 1

Changes in living memory

Events beyond living memory that a significant eg Fire of London

Lives of significant people and compare aspects of life in different periods eg. Nightingale

Significant historical events, people, places in their own locality

Key Stage 2

Changes in Britain from Stone to Iron Age

Roman Empire and impact

Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots

Viking and Anglo-Saxons

Local Study

Study of a theme/aspect that goes beyond 1066

Achievements of earliest civilizations – Ancient Egypt

Ancient Greece

Non-European Society in contrast to British History – Mayan Civilizations