We want all our children at the Spinney school to understand that history is the narrative of the past and by learning about the past, they can better understand the world they live in today and make informed decisions that will shape the future. They will be inspired to think of consequences of actions on a bigger scale and consider their role now and in the future.

We want the children to leave the Spinney being able to ask critical questions that enables them to have a better understanding of the society in which they live and that of the wider world. Importantly, through studies of different cultures and historical perspectives, Spinney children will be more able to show respect, tolerance and empathy. The children will leave the school in year 6 having a good chronological understanding and have good substantial knowledge of the areas of history they have studied, and they will be able to articulate how one time period links to another. They will understand that our past is constructed from a range of sources and they will be able to determine the validity of these sources and use them to interpret the past. Furthermore, the children will have an understanding of abstract concepts and give examples of events in the past that demonstrate these (e.g. empire, democracy, nation, authority). We want to ensure the children are equipped with historical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life in the wider world. KS1 follow a bespoke History Curriculum created to follow the National Curriculum and suit the needs of our children. in KS2, The Haringey Educational Partnership Opening Worlds curriculum is used as this curriculum covers all of the required concepts below.

As with all subjects in the curriculum, the humanities provide the powerful knowledge that, if thoroughly and securely taught, builds the wide and secure vocabulary acquisition that underpins literacy and all successful communication. We know that pupils only read with the speed necessary for fluency when 5 they have adequate prototypes for abstract words and phrases, and when their densely structured schemata allow them to ‘chunk’ the incoming text for meaning. Vocabulary size is the outward sign of the inward acquisition of knowledge. Moreover, the types of account that form each subject’s processes and products – its narratives, analyses, arguments – give pupils continuous, focused practice in reading and writing, both fiction and non-fiction. Pupils reading and will always be richly grounded in stimulating content in which pupils will be increasingly secure, and always driven by a clear disciplinary purpose.