History Curriculum Intent

History is all around us and is part of who we are.  It is being made right now and is constantly changing and evolving.  When teaching history at our school, we want to ignite a life-long passion in our pupils to learn about the past and engage their curiosity to discover how their world has changed over time.  Our pupils are encouraged to put themselves in the shoes of others, helping them to develop respect, as well as their own sense of identity.  History has a big role in our overall topics, throughout all year groups.  For every topic, we deliver ‘hook lessons’, as well as trips, themed days and visitors, to engage and inspire our pupils.

Through our curriculum, we teach our pupils about key figures from the past who have influenced our lives and events that have shaped the world we live in.  As well as looking at global history, we also look at the history of our country and the local history of Faringdon.  We feel it is important for children to learn about the past to help them to understand their place in the world; locally, nationally and globally.  To make local history relevant to our pupils, we take them on local walks and invite visitors into school to talk about their own experiences.  In Reception, the children start by learning about their own history and that of their family before moving out to their wider environment.

At Faringdon Infant School, we teach children different attitudes towards learning (Learning Muscles) and these are all explored and built upon through the teaching of history and run through every lesson.  Attitudes such as curiosity and enjoyment are encouraged through the way we plan our history lessons and the history topics we choose to teach.  Our pupils feel confident to ask questions and we want our pupils to be so engaged with the topics we teach, that they want to continue their learning at home and outside the classroom.

History Objectives

The document below shows an overview of the core knowledge and understanding that should be covered within History across EYFS and KS1, taken from the Development Matters and National Curriculum documents.

History Curriculum Map

Below is the document detailing our coverage of the History objectives from Nursery to Year 2.  It shows the different topics that are taught in each year group and how the History objectives fit into each of these topics.

History Progression

At FIS, we want to make sure that our pupils have a rich and rounded education, building on what they have learnt in the previous year.  In History, we focus on core strands to build upon and show progression.

These core strands are: 

• Content
• Chronological Understanding
• Knowledge and Understanding of Events, People and Changes in the Past
• Historical Terms
• Historical Interpretation
• Historical Enquiry

The progression document below shows how these strands are built upon as a pupil progresses through the school.

What does History look like at Faringdon Infant School?

The Platinum Jubilee

We loved celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee at F.I.S.!  We had a day of learning all about the Queen and even had our own 'street party' on the field for lunch!  We looked at celebration plates from previous Jubilees and had a go at making our own.  We read stories about the Queen and found out about all the changes that she has seen in her life.  

Black History Month

In October we celebrated Black History Month.  This is not the only time we celebrate black figures from history but we took this opportunity to choose a different man or woman from history to learn more about.  Have a look below at some of our learning!