Our History Leader is: Mrs R Bruce

History Intent 

At St. Mary of Charity, our curriculum aims to develop our children’s curiosity, knowledge and understanding of both local and world history.  

We aspire for our children to enjoy learning about the past and through this, be passionate and enthusiastic about the topics they are studying. Through our History curriculum, we provide our children with stimulating, hands-on experiences in order to bring the world of the past to life; the children are able to explore first-hand relics and artefacts to secure their understanding of the time period they are studying.  

At SMC, we ensure effective, appropriate resources are used every lesson and through these, we aim to develop our children as critical thinkers, evaluating the reliability of information they are given or discover and have the confidence to share their opinions.  

We strongly believe it is important for our children to develop their individual awareness of the history of Faversham. We want our pupils to be curious about local history, discovering its heritage and consequently being able to make detailed links between events that happened in the past to the world they live in today. To achieve this, we have developed strong links with our local museum, which regularly provides the children with engaging events and experiences (both in and out of school) to enhance their knowledge and understanding of their local community.   

Our History topics are explored throughout our curriculum at SMC, enabling the children to embed key historical information and vocabulary in their learning. Consequently, our children are able to develop their inquisitiveness, interest and understanding as young historians.  

History Implementation 

Comprehensive Curriculum:

Our curriculum is designed to ensure coverage of key historical periods, events, and figures, incorporating the national curriculum requirements while extending learning beyond the basic expectations. We carefully select topics that are engaging for our pupils, making connections between different periods, and integrating local and global history where relevant. Our curriculum promotes an inclusive approach, incorporating diverse perspectives and voices to ensure that all pupils feel represented.

Progression of Skills:

To develop historical skills progressively, we have established clear learning objectives for each key stage, building upon prior knowledge and skills. Our teaching sequences are carefully mapped out, providing opportunities for pupils to:

• Make connections between past and present, exploring how historical events have shaped society today.
• Conduct historical enquiries, formulating questions, gathering evidence, and drawing conclusions.
• Understand and interpret historical sources, including artifacts, documents, and images.
• Analyse and evaluate different interpretations of historical events, considering bias and reliability.
• Develop a chronological understanding, ordering events and constructing timelines.
• Develop empathy and an understanding of different cultural perspectives.

Our school uses knowledge organisers which are shared with pupils and parents/carers at the beginning of each history unit. These contain the key vocabulary as well as the knowledge that the children will acquire as a result of their learning.

Enrichment Opportunities:

We actively seek opportunities to enrich the curriculum by arranging visits to local historical sites, inviting guest speakers, and organising workshops that enable pupils to engage with history in tangible ways. These experiences promote a deeper understanding of historical contexts and encourage pupils to develop a sense of place and heritage, connecting them to their local community and the wider world.

Cross-Curricular Links:

We recognise the value of making cross-curricular links to enhance and reinforce historical understanding. Through collaborative planning and dialogue with other subject leaders, we identify opportunities for history to be integrated with subjects such as English, Art, Religious Education, and Geography. This approach allows pupils to develop a broader and more interconnected understanding of the topics they study.

History Impact 

The aim of our intent and implementation is evidenced in our impact; our children secure and broaden their historical knowledge and skills as they progress through the school, ultimately developing their own ability to think and question like a historian. The key historical disciplines are fundamental (and at the forefront) when planning and delivering history at SMC. We ensure these vital concepts are explored in all topics, ultimately providing the opportunity for our children to strengthen and master skills as historical thinkers. We use frequent assessment and retrieval opportunities of children’s sticky knowledge in every lesson, consequently increasing the retention of key historical facts. Additionally, end of topic assessments evaluate and explore the children’s awareness and understanding of the key disciplines. Our children enjoy learning about the past, which is brought to life through rich learning experiences and hands-on activities; children can relate their historical knowledge and understanding to the local area, consequently increasing relevance and relatability. The children at SMC have high expectations of their learning in History and take pride in their independent work, which is evidenced through regular book looks, observations and pupil voice conducted by our History subject leader.