“Mrs Hayes is the perfect teacher! She knows how to encourage, be patient, inspire and yet not overload! Her work with the choir has been truly appreciated.”

INTENT

In History at Oakridge Parochial School, we aim to develop a strong knowledge and understanding of the past, so that children can understand how life has changed overtime, both in Britain and around the world. We encourage our children to be critical thinkers by asking questions about the past and by analysing sources. We aim to inspire the children to want to find out more about the past by sparking their curiosity.  We encourage discussion about the lasting impacts of events and people in the past and what we might learn from them. 

IMPLEMENTATION

We teach the programmes of study outlined in the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression across a 4-year rolling programme.  This ensures that all skills and knowledge in each Key Stage are covered by all children throughout their years at Oakridge.

Over their time at Oakridge, children will develop a sense of chronology by studying significant periods in history. They will use a variety of sources to learn about the past and will understand the difference between primary and secondary sources. We will encourage the children to ask and answer questions and to think critically about sources of historical information, and to be aware of the possibility of bias.

They will find out about inspirational figures from the past and the impact they had.  There will be hands-on learning opportunities as well as off-site visits that will further inspire interest and develop knowledge. Units focusing on local history will develop the children’s understanding of the past in their own area, helping them to understand their own history and the local changes that have occurred over time.

IMPACT

The main impact and measure of our history curriculum is to ensure that children at Oakridge Parochial have a strong understanding of the past both in Britain and the wider world. We aim to have both ignited curiosity and built confidence in asking questions about the past, whilst giving the children a secure base of knowledge ready for KS3. 

By the time children leave Oakridge Parochial we aim that most children will:

-Be able to speak confidently about significant periods in history, understanding the implications of certain actions and events.

-Be able to explain that some decisions made in the past had negative implications and begin to understand how these events happened.

-Have developed a more refined sense of chronology and can order the topics that they have studied over the course of their time at school (and some that they may not have studied in detail).

- Have engaged in hands-on learning where they ask relevant questions and partake in discussions to find out more.

-Be able to talk about some of the features of a time that they have studied, such as clothing, buildings, objects in everyday use, famous people, inventions, ways of life and so on.

-Be able to use vocabulary which relates to the past that they are unfamiliar with, e.g. evacuee, propaganda, vinyls, telegram etc.

-Be able to identify primary and secondary sources and discuss their validity and what they tell us about that period.

-Have developed an understanding of history in their local area; knowing how life has changed over time as well as significant events that occurred in the area.

WWII Walk

Great Fire of London

Greek Day