History

Intent

At Woodchurch Road Academy, we believe that history is the story of humanity. Our history curriculum empowers pupils to think, question, and communicate as historians. We aim to:

·       Develop secure knowledge of substantive concepts such as community, knowledge, invasion, civilisation, power, and democracy.

·       Foster curiosity, enquiry, and critical thinking through the exploration of diverse cultures, perspectives, and voices.

·       Celebrate diversity and identity by recognising how history has shaped society locally, nationally, and globally.

·       Provide every child with the confidence to use disciplinary skills - chronology, evidence, interpretation, and causation — to form their own judgements about the past.

Implementation

Our curriculum is structured through a clear progression of substantive and disciplinary knowledge from EYFS to Year 6, ensuring secure foundations and increasing complexity.

We achieve this through:

·       Strands of disciplinary knowledge: Chronology; Cause & Consequence; Change & Continuity; Similarities & Differences; Evidence; Significance.

·       Embedding substantive concepts across year groups: Community, Knowledge, Invasion, Civilisation, Power, Democracy.

·       Rich historical enquiries rooted in global, national, and local contexts, including Ancient Egypt, Greece, Benin, Baghdad, Victorian Britain, and World War II.

·       Cross-curricular links to geography, science, literacy, and social justice themes (e.g. displacement, migration, climate change, democracy).

·       Use of sources, artefacts, and visits to deepen pupils’ sense of historical enquiry.

·       Assessment through in-lesson feedback, knowledge notes, and oracy tasks to ensure pupils can talk about, reflect on, and evaluate history.

·       Inclusion strategies to ensure SEND and EAL pupils are supported through scaffolding, visual timelines, and structured talk.

Impact

By the time they leave Woodchurch Road Academy, children will:

·       Have secure chronological understanding of British, local, and world history.

·       Be able to make connections, contrasts, and analyse trends across time.

·       Understand how evidence is used to construct historical interpretations and evaluate reliability and bias.

·       Recognise the significance of people, events, and civilisations in shaping society today.

·       Articulate their historical understanding using subject-specific vocabulary and disciplinary concepts.

·       Leave with a strong sense of identity and belonging, seeing themselves as part of history’s ongoing story.