History
History
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Intent
At Boston Pioneers Academy we aim to create within our learners a keen interest in the past, which arouses both their curiosity and motivation to learn. This subject is particularly important to us due to the rich history in the immediate locality of the academy.
Through our history teaching, we aim for our learners to understand the complexity of people’s lives; the process of change; the diversity of societies and the relationships between different groups; as well as their own identity and the challenges of their generation. Over the course of their time with us, our learners will develop a broad range of knowledge about events and people from the past, their impact on today’s society, and will begin to understand the connections between local, regional, national and international history.
Implementation of History in EYFS
Although History is not taught as an explicit subject in EYFS, History is encompassed in the EYFS through the Prime Area of ‘Understanding of the World’, which incorporates ‘Learning about People’, ‘Cultures and Communities’ and ‘Past and Present’.
The understanding of chronology starts in EYFS with our learners being introduced to the concepts of time and change starting with developing their understanding of the terms: today, yesterday, tomorrow and then looking at how they themselves have changed since birth. Our learners will talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of their family members.
Through our cross-curricular units of work, we aim for our learners to be able to achieve the ELG for ‘Past and Present’ by the end of EYFS, demonstrating their ability to:
| Understanding the World
Past & Present |
•Talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society. •Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. •Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling. |
Implementation of History Year 1 – Year 6
At Boston Pioneers Academy our History Curriculum is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum (2014). We teach history through an enquiry-based approach as a discrete subject, yet make links to other subjects where appropriate to do so, for example Geography when studying invasions, etc. Our English teaching is also often linked to the history learning in order that our learners can develop a deeper understanding by applying and recalling their historical knowledge in a different context.
KS1 History
Key components which will be covered in KS1 are:
- Developing learners’ knowledge and understanding of chronology
- Developing learners’ knowledge, skills and understanding of similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods in history
- Developing learners’ knowledge of historical vocabulary, including common words and phrases relating to the passing of time
- Developing learners’ knowledge in relation to how we find out about the past in a variety of ways
- Developing learners’ knowledge of changes within living memory as well as events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally, including the Battle of Hastings 1066.
- Developing learners’ knowledge of a diverse range of significant individuals from the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. These include Mary Anning, The Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, Christopher Columbus & Matthew Flinders.
KS2 History
In KS2, we have selected specific historical periods to reflect the needs of Pioneers’ Learners & the rich historical resources in the area:
- We study the Bronze Age as Flag Fen, (the only place in the UK where original Bronze Age remains can be seen in situ) is within close proximity of the Academy and Lincolnshire is a predominantly agricultural area and so the development of early-farming will assist our learners in understanding the shaping of their locality.
- We study the Romans as in Roman times, Lincoln was a Roman city equal in importance and the city played a strategic role in the Roman conquest of Britain.
- We teach two post 1066 units of history, one being of particular significance for the local area: The Battle of Britain (Woodhall Spa being the home of the Dam Busters and Lincolnshire playing a vital role in WW2 / aviation history). Our second unit: The Victorians, is a comparative study of changes to education in the UK over time. Many of the school buildings that exist in Lincolnshire today were built during this time, providing a tangible link to this period. This includes our own former premises.
- The Egyptians have been selected for the study of the achievements of the earliest civilisations, not only because our learners are particularly fascinated and interested in this period of history; yet also as it has direct links with our locality, with the Egyptians being great agriculturalists.
- The non-European society we have selected for study is the Mayan civilisation, also due to the strong links the Mayan civilisation had with farming and also as it complements the teaching of our MFL, which is Spanish.
In addition to our core history teaching, we undertake a ‘Heritage Week’ each year which has a focus on local history, the focus of this being sites of Historical interest in Boston, which was a significant port in the Medieval Period and in 1369 held the wool staple.
Our Knowledge and Skills progression ladder for History, our medium-term plans and our linked knowledge organisers are available by contacting the Academy’s History lead: nicole.cannon@bostonpioneersacademy.net
