History
Subject Vision
Our curriculum will inspire students to think, read, speak and write like historians, and develop lifelong curiosity about past events and forgotten voices. They will study some of the most significant events since the Stone Age, opening their eyes to the way the world we live in today has been shaped.
Aims
- Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
- Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilizations, the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.
- Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, civilization’, parliament’ and ‘peasantry’.
- Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequences, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses.
- Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
- Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts; understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history, between cultural, economic, military political, religious and social history, and between short and long-term timescales.
Intent
At Bournville All-Through School, we want every pupil to experience a rich and varied History curriculum that builds the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to succeed at school and beyond. Our curriculum is designed to reflect both the National Curriculum and the lived experiences of our community. In the Primary phase we follow the CUSP History curriculum which is fully aligned to the National Curriculum and in the secondary phase we follow the National Curriculum.
We recognise the importance of pupils seeing themselves and their families represented in the past, so we are expanding opportunities to study the histories global narratives that have shaped the modern world. This aligns with our Trust-wide approach, ensuring that History teaching across FMAT is coherent, connected and ambitious for all learners.
The curriculum has been built using the following components:
(Knowledge of the past)
Substantive Knowledge
(Knowledge of how Historians investigate the past)
Disciplinary Knowledge
Our curriculum is also shaped by the context of our school. Many of our pupils require access to powerful knowledge and opportunities to develop their cultural capital, so we deliberately include topics that help them understand the world they live in today. For example, we explore how democracy functions in Britain and how historical developments continue to influence society. Alongside this, we place a strong emphasis on literacy. Pupils develop their vocabulary, reading, speaking and extended writing skills.
Personal development is woven throughout the curriculum. We draw on our STRIVE values, encouraging pupils to use their initiative, think independently and engage thoughtfully with the past. Above all, we aim to nurture a lifelong interest in History. We want our pupils to feel inspired to visit historical sites, explore the stories around them and share their learning with their families, building a lasting connection to the world’s rich and diverse heritage.
Learning Journey
Click on the link below to take a look at our Bournville – All-Through School History Learning Journey.