At Mount Pleasant, we have a history curriculum that will help children have an understanding of their past and how history will shape their future. The history curriculum will provide the children with engaging opportunities to explore Britain and the wider world. As a school, we believe that high-quality history lessons inspire pupil’s curiosity to ask questions. Children will gain knowledge, and develop skills to think critically, weigh evidence, and develop perspective and judgement.
History will also help pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. Wherever possible, links are made between subjects in projects with overarching themes to contextualize and motivate learners. Projects provide highly productive opportunities to use and apply basic skills in literacy and numeracy whilst strengthening pupils’ learning in history.
History
Our Intent
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At Mount Pleasant we prioritise an engaging History curriculum that catches the attention of all ages. It is a cohesive curriculum that teaches skills and knowledge from EYFS to Y6.
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The common theme across all topics is belonging, with a key question being ‘What was it like to be a ….’, which identifies belonging to a certain period in history.
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Other golden threads include key people, scientific achievements and rule of law.
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There is a close link to geography which includes why people settle and how they identify with their surroundings through time.
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History at Mount Pleasant starts within children’s homes, then links to the local area, and branches out globally. Each part of the History curriculum is relevant to the children in Darlington.
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It is a progressive History curriculum with clearly defined expectations of knowledge and skills for each year group, which builds on previous learning.
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Mount Pleasant children are inspired to research events in school and by visiting the range of museums in the North East.
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Children can order events in time; finding differences and similarities; writing and talking about the past; using different sources of information; asking and answering questions, with the aim to link ‘then’ with ‘now.’
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Subject Leader: Mrs Blackham
Key stage 1
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Pupils should be taught about:
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Changes within living memory – where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life
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Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]
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The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods.
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Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
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Key stage 2
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Pupils should be taught about:
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changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
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The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain.
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Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots.
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The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor.
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A local history study.
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A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
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The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer, The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
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Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
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a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history