History
History – Curriculum Intent Statement
Purpose of the Subject
Through history, we aim to ignite children’s curiosity about the past and help them understand how people, events and ideas have shaped the world they live in today. We want pupils to develop a strong sense of identity, belonging and perspective by exploring diverse histories, including those that reflect our own community. Our history curriculum encourages children to think critically, ask perceptive questions and understand that history is constructed, interpreted and debated. We aim to nurture thoughtful, informed and reflective young historians who can make connections across time and recognise their role in shaping the future.
Alignment with the National Curriculum
In line with the National Curriculum, we teach children to:
- Develop a secure understanding of British, local and world history.
- Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, and significance.
- Use historical enquiry skills to ask questions, evaluate evidence and form reasoned judgements.
- Understand how and why interpretations of the past differ.
- Communicate historical understanding in a range of ways.
Curriculum Coverage
Our history curriculum provides:
- Mirrors – opportunities for children to see their identities, cultures and heritage reflected in the stories, figures and events they study.
- Windows – opportunities to explore diverse histories, civilisations and perspectives from across the world.
Units are meaningful, representative and engaging, offering opportunities for enquiry, storytelling, critical thinking and connection‑making.
Curriculum Progression
Our history curriculum is built around four interrelated strands of knowledge:
1. Procedural Knowledge (Historical Enquiry Skills)
Procedural knowledge represents the skills children need to investigate the past. These skills are mapped in a vertically integrated progression from EYFS to Year 6. Children learn to ask questions, examine artefacts, interpret sources, consider reliability, compare viewpoints and construct historical arguments. SOLO taxonomy supports this progression, enabling pupils to move from simple recall to sophisticated reasoning.
2. Disciplinary Knowledge (The “Big Ideas” of History)
Disciplinary knowledge represents the conceptual frameworks that underpin historical thinking. The three main concepts of history teaching at Birklands are:
- Conflict: Challenges of their time
Understanding how struggles, disagreements, and crises shaped societies, influenced decisions, and drove change throughout the past.
- Equality: Diversity of society
Understanding how different groups experienced rights and opportunities, how these experiences have shaped societies over time and why particular events or individuals have been important in shaping the past.
- Legacy: Impact and process of change
Understanding the cause and consequence of decisions and events and their impact. Comparing people, places and periods.
Each of these concepts are grounded in the central ideas of Chronology—understanding when events occurred and how they relate—and Interpretation—understanding why accounts of the past can differ.
These concepts are taught, revisited and applied in every year group, helping children understand how historical knowledge is constructed and interpreted.
3. Substantive Knowledge (The Content We Teach)
Substantive knowledge represents the specific historical content children learn—such as ancient civilisations, significant individuals, local history, British history, global histories and thematic studies. This knowledge is presented as clear learning outcomes that detail what pupils should know and remember. Content is chosen to reflect our community, celebrate global diversity and ensure that all children feel represented and valued.
4. Substantive Concepts
Substantive concepts are recurring ideas that appear across the history curriculum, such as civilisation, monarchy, industry, conquest, societal change and identity. These concepts are explored in different contexts across year groups, helping children build familiarity, confidence and deeper historical understanding.
Repetition and Retrieval
Our history curriculum is built on high levels of repetition to ensure that children remember more and can do more as they progress through school. Procedural and disciplinary knowledge are revisited in every year group, allowing pupils to apply skills with increasing independence. Substantive concepts reappear across units, enabling children to make connections and strengthen long‑term understanding. Retrieval practice is embedded within lessons and across terms, ensuring that key knowledge is revisited, secured and stored in long‑term memory.
Assessment
Assessment in history focuses on pupils’ ability to apply historical knowledge, enquiry skills and reasoning. We assess pupils through:
- Source analysis
- Written explanations and arguments
- Timelines, comparisons and thematic work
- End‑of‑unit enquiry tasks
These assessments provide insight into how well children understand historical concepts, how confidently they can use historical skills and how effectively they can think and behave like historians.