At South Gosforth First School, we have designed a high-quality History curriculum which will inspire in our pupils a curiosity about the history of the area in which they live, Britain’s past and that of the wider world. The History curriculum at South Gosforth First School makes full use of the resources within the immediate and wider North East region, enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality and the citizens who made a difference to the North East community. However, running alongside this, our pupils are also given the opportunity to learn about the history of a breadth of different cultures from all around the world.

Our curriculum is organised and sequenced so that our children can make meaningful links between their prior learning in History and other wider curriculum subjects, with the aim of deepening their understanding in a range of disciplines.

Woven into our History curriculum are the key themes of: ‘Invasion and Empire’, ‘Cultural Change’, ‘Exploration and Impact’ and ‘Locality’ - Our children will develop their understanding of these themes within a number of different contexts. For example, children are encouraged to think about the theme of ‘Invasion and Empire’ or ‘Cultural Change’ within a variety of time periods and different parts of the world. We want our pupils to appreciate that people and events in that past have a lasting impact on society and the modern world that we live in today.

In addition to these key themes, we also clearly identify Key Concepts, Substantive Knowledge (specific facts and information to be learned) and Disciplinary Knowledge (the action or skills needed within a particular subject to gain substantive knowledge) within our History curriculum. Our Key Concepts in History include: ‘Chronology. Change and Continuity’, ‘Cause and Consequence’, ‘Historical Significance’ and ‘Using Evidence’ – We believe that focusing on these different key concepts within our History curriculum enables our pupils to think like a historian.

The History curriculum at South Gosforth First School enables our pupils to develop their own lines of enquiry by asking and answering questions using a range of sources and artefacts and encourages our children to think about key historical concepts through the use of creative activities and strategies, such as drama, hot seating, discussion and debate, the use of video and ‘Mantle of the Expert’.

Please see below some of our key documents linked to the teaching of History here at South Gosforth First School, including a History Subject Overview, History Whole School Progression & Assessment document and History Long Term Plans for each year group: