Geography

Intent:

At Freeland Primary School, we believe that History should engage children and inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. The history curriculum at our school draws from and makes full use of the immediate and wider local area, enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality. Through their education at Freeland Primary, pupils should gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Teaching equips pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh up evidence, sift through arguments, and nurture a sense of perspective and judgement. History should help pupils to understand the complexity and challenges of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups. Children at Freeland Primary School will learn how the past has impacted on their lives today and how their actions today could potentially affect the future. 

Our topics are informed by the national curriculum and are considerate of children’s interests, ensuring an engaging experience, as well as the context of the local area. The history curriculum at Freeland Primary is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy. 

Our curriculum aims for our pupils to:

• Gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world which helps to stimulate pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past;

• Are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement;

• Begin to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Implementation: 

As a small school with mixed age classes, there is a four year rolling cycle humanities topics in key stage two and a two year rolling cycle in key stage one. During these topics, History is taught for a minimum of one hour per week. Some topics can be blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth. 

We have developed a progression of skills with each year group, which enables pupils to build on and develop their skills each year. In EYFS/KS1, History begins by looking at the children’s own personal history and introduces them to the idea of chronology and timelines. In KS1, History will look at significant events and people who have shaped society, locally, nationally and globally. In KS2, each year group uses a timeline to chronologically place the period of study and measure the impact of that period on today’s world.

In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to review the learning that has taken place in previous topics as well as previous lessons. Children are given a knowledge organiser at the start of each topic which details some key information, dates and vocabulary. This supports children with their acquisition of knowledge and is used as a reference document.

Effective CPD and standardisation opportunities are available to staff to ensure high levels of confidence and knowledge are maintained. Medium term planning for all units will cover key historical concepts: Chronological understanding, Historical knowledge and interpretation, and Historical enquiry. 

Children are given opportunities, where possible, to study artefacts leading to enquiry, investigation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and presentation. We plan for effective use of educational visits and visitors, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experience and the History curriculum. Effective modelling by teachers ensures that children are able to achieve their learning intentions, with misconceptions addressed within it.

Teachers use a range of ongoing and responsive assessment approaches to adapt teaching effectively, ensuring that all pupils, including those with SEND, can access and make progress through the history curriculum. KCVs (Knowledge, concepts and vocabulary) are used to establish learning structure and curriculum focus for topics – providing children and professionals with clearly identifiable learning objectives and outcomes, enabling pupils to understand what they are working towards and to develop increasing independence over time. Teachers plan purposeful opportunities for pupils to revisit and build on prior knowledge, supporting secure progression. Meaningful cross-curricular links, particularly with English, art and science, are identified where they enhance learning and deepen understanding, rather than distract from core historical knowledge. Classrooms and shared spaces feature carefully designed, knowledge-rich displays that support retrieval, address key historical questions and contribute to a culture that values curiosity and depth of understanding in history.

Key Concepts

In our pursuit to provide a rich and well-rounded history education, we are adopting an approach that incorporates six key concepts throughout the history curriculum. These concepts serve as threads that weave through different topics and year groups, allowing students to build a progressively deeper and more nuanced understanding of history as they advance through school. This innovative approach aims to foster critical thinking and equip students with the ability to analyse historical events and trends from multiple angles.

The Six Key Concepts

1. Monarchy: This concept focuses on the role and impact of kings, queens, and royal families in shaping societies, politics, and global relations.

2. Community: The concept of community includes the examination of how groups of people have lived, worked, and cooperated throughout history. This also encompasses how communities have adapted to and shaped their environments and cultures.

3. Culture: Culture involves the study of beliefs, traditions, art, language, and customs of various societies. This concept also entails how cultures evolve, influence, and are influenced by historical events.

4. Democracy: Democracy examines the systems of government in which power is vested in the people. Students will explore the origins, development, and influence of democratic systems throughout history.

5. Trade: This concept deals with the exchange of goods, services, ideas and cultures, and how this has shaped economies, societies, and global relations.

6. Warfare: Warfare involves the study of conflicts, battles, and wars and how they have impacted societies, cultures, and geopolitics throughout history.

The integration of these key concepts will be carefully woven into various topics, ensuring that students revisit them multiple times during their primary school education. Each revisit will delve into greater detail and complexity, allowing for a scaffolding learning approach.

Foundation (Years 1 & 2)

At this stage, the key concepts are introduced in a basic form. Students will learn about simple examples and stories that incorporate these concepts. For example, they might learn about a king or queen in a fairy tale (Monarchy), a local community event (Community), or folktales from different cultures (Culture).

Intermediate (Years 3 & 4)

In Years 3 and 4, students begin to explore the key concepts in a historical context. They will look at how communities have shaped historical events, the impact of trade in ancient civilizations, or the role of monarchy in historical conflicts. They are also introduced to more abstract concepts like democracy.

Advanced (Years 5 & 6)

In the final phase, students will analyse historical events and periods through a critical lens. They will evaluate the positive and negative impacts of different forms of governance, including monarchy and democracy, and understand the complexities of trade, culture, and warfare. Students are encouraged to make connections between the key concepts and contemporary issues.

By integrating the six key concepts of Monarchy, Community, Culture, Democracy, Trade, and Warfare as continuous threads through the history curriculum, we aim to create a holistic, engaging, and critical understanding of history for our students. This approach encourages them to think analytically, understand the interconnectedness of historical events and trends, and appreciate the diversity and complexity of human societies throughout history.

	Autumn 1	Autumn 2	Spring 1	Spring 2	Summer 1	Summer 2
Key Stage One cycle A  (2026-2027)	Would you rather live in a hot or a cold place? (G)	How has transport changed over time? (H)	What makes Freeland special? (G)	What makes someone a great explorer? (H)	How is life different in another part of the world? (G)	Who changed hospitals for the better? (H)
Key Stage One cycle B (2027-2028)	Why does the weather change? (G)	Why did London burn? (H)	What makes the United Kingdom special? (G)	How were holidays different in the past? (H)	How big is our world? (G)	Who lived in castles and why? (H)
	Autumn 1 (H)	Autumn 2 (G)	Spring 1 (H)	Spring 2 (G)	Summer 1 (H)	Summer 2 (G)
Key Stage Two cycle A (2025-2026)	Scots and Anglo-Saxons	Majestic Mountains	Raiders and Invaders	The UK	Incredible Oxford	Incredible Oxford
Key Stage Two cycle B (2026 – 2027)	Ruthless Romans	Natural Disasters	The Tudors	Water, Water Everywhere	WW2	American Adventures
Key Stage Two cycle C (2027-2028)	Ancient Greece	Athens, Greece	Mayan Civilisation	Rainforests	The Victorians	Marvellous Maps
Key Stage Two cycle D (2028-2029)	Building Britain	Extreme Earth	Freeland and Beyond	Freeland and Beyond	Ancient Egypt	Amazing Africa

History in EYFS

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at our school, we lay the foundational groundwork for our students to delve into more detailed history learning as they progress through the educational stages. We encourage our pupils to begin understanding the concept of history through personally relatable experiences. This is achieved through activities like the creation of 'All About Me' books, where children are introduced to the idea of chronological sequence by charting their own personal and familial histories.

A strong emphasis is placed on familiarising pupils with basic units of time such as days, weeks, months, and years. This not only helps students grasp the chronology of events, but also provides them with the necessary context to understand how events or things from the past relate to the present. As part of this, pupils learn to apply these units to historical contexts, such as understanding how events occurred a certain amount of time ago.

The curriculum incorporates learning about historical changes in daily life and technology, using tangible examples such as transportation. Students study the history and evolution of various modes of transport - boats, buses, and others - and are encouraged to compare and contrast these with their modern counterparts. This stimulates discussions on the nature of change over time, fostering a basic understanding of the continuity and change aspect of historical study.

Further, pupils are exposed to stories set in different historical periods, such as the Nativity, 'Jack's Mouse', and the tale of Guy Fawkes. This enables them to explore life in different eras, fostering discussions about the variations from the present day and the reasons for these differences. Through these narratives, pupils are encouraged to think about the past critically, a fundamental skill they will need in their further study of history.

The EYFS stage at our school endeavours to instil a curiosity and understanding about the past, preparing pupils for the broader study of history they will undertake from Year 1 onwards. Our approach is designed to cultivate an appreciation of the past and its relationship with the present, forming the basis of a lifelong engagement with history.

Curriculum coverage and topic focus, see curriculum overviews:

Impact:

By the time the children at Freeland Primary leave our school, they should have developed: 

∙ A secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods covered. 

∙ The ability to think critically about history and communicate confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences. 

∙ The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence derived from a range of sources.

∙ The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining questions and lines of enquiry. 

∙ A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways. 

∙ A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgements. 

∙ A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.