History

History at Archibald builds on the knowledge and understanding of the world that children develop in the Early Years. It is built on the Cornerstones Curriculum and taught in the autumn and summer terms. The curriculum sets out the substantive knowledge (knowledge of the past) and disciplinary knowledge (how historians investigate the past) that pupils gain in each year group. Pupils build a secure chronological framework and return to the same core concepts in increasingly complex contexts: monarchy, invasion, settlement, civilisation, empire and democracy. Power is a clear example. Pupils first meet it through the English and British monarchs in Year 2, then see it exercised through conquest in Roman Britain and the invasions of Year 4. They contrast it with Athenian democracy in Year 5 and examine its abuse through enslavement and colonialism in Year 6.

Pupils learn to think as historians. They interpret sources, recognise bias, compare interpretations and construct their own enquiries. Every lesson opens with a review task drawing on earlier lessons, units and year groups, and knowledge organisers help pupils retain key vocabulary and dates. We want pupils to understand the heritage on their doorstep and its significance nationally. An annual whole-school World War 1 Week uses local sites such as Thorntree Cemetery, the Heugh Battery and Marske airfield, and links directly to the Year 6 Britain at War unit. By the end of Year 6, pupils can place what they have learned on a coherent timeline and explain how the past has shaped their community and the wider world.