History

Intent

At Saint Ambrose, we believe that history comes alive when children explore it with curiosity and wonder. Our aim is for every child to become a confident historian, able to ask questions, discover stories, and understand the world around them.

Through history, children will:

• Explore the past to gain insight into their community and the wider world.

• Understand how people, societies, and ideas have changed over time.

• Think critically, weigh evidence, and develop their own answers to historical questions.

We want pupils to leave Saint Ambrose not only with knowledge but with a love of history.

Learning history at Saint Ambrose is an adventure.

History units are structured so children can dive deeply into each period or theme, uncovering fascinating stories and asking big questions. Lessons encourage pupils to build on what they already know, recall past learning, and make connections across time.

Children explore history through:

• Artefacts and primary sources, giving them hands-on experience of the past.

• Educational visits and visitors, bringing history to life beyond the classroom.

• Guided enquiry and discussion, where every question matters and every idea is valued.

Teachers carefully model skills and provide clear guidance, ensuring all pupils can achieve their learning goals. Assessment is used thoughtfully, helping children grow and learn from mistakes without fear. Peer and self-assessment are woven naturally into lessons, allowing children to reflect and celebrate their learning.

Our curriculum is thoughtfully planned so that children progress year by year, deepening their understanding, strengthening their skills, and becoming ever more confident historians.

EYFS

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supports children's understanding of History through the planning and teaching of 'Understanding the World'. This aspect is about how children find out about past and present events in their own lives, their families and other people they know. Children are encouraged to develop a sense of change over time and are given opportunities to differentiate between past and present by observing routines throughout the day, growing plants, observing the passing of seasons and time and looking at photographs of their life and of others. Practitioners encourage investigative behaviour and raise questions such as, 'What do you think?', 'Tell me more about?', 'What will happen if..?', 'What else could we try?', 'What could it be used for?' and 'How might it work?' Use of language relating to time is used in daily routines and conversations with children for example, 'yesterday', 'old', 'past', 'now' and 'then'.

The impact of this curriculum design will lead to at least good progress over time across key stages relative to a child's individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave Saint Ambrose reaching at least age-related expectations for History. Our Historical curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic history learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice and their work.

"History merely repeats itself. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, 'Here is something new!' But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new."