Intent

At Manuden Primary School, our history curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity, develop critical thinking, and deepen understanding of Britain’s past and the wider world. In line with our vision – Growing Hearts, Growing Minds, Growing Dreams – we want children to develop a genuine love of history and an appreciation of how the past has shaped the present.

Our curriculum fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum and aims to:

• Provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes inclusivity and celebrates diversity.

• Embed British Values through an exploration of key historical events, people and movements.

• Ensure progression in historical knowledge, concepts and skills from Early Years to Year 6.

• Encourage children to ask thoughtful questions, consider different perspectives, and build coherent historical narratives.

Pupils study a range of time periods and civilisations, including ancient societies, significant people and local history. We aim for pupils to leave our school with a strong chronological understanding, the ability to use historical evidence, and the skills to reflect critically on the past.

Implementation

History is taught discretely within our two-year rolling programme, allowing pupils in mixed-age classes to develop historical knowledge and skills in a carefully sequenced way. Each unit is guided by a progression of knowledge and skills, underpinned by our school’s chosen scheme (Key Stage History), ensuring a consistent and age-appropriate approach to learning.

We bring history to life through:

• The use of high-quality sources, artefacts, stories and enquiry-led learning.

• Visits to local historical sites and museums to deepen understanding and contextualise learning.

• Cross-curricular links, where appropriate, to enhance engagement and reinforce knowledge.

• A focus on key historical concepts such as change and continuity, cause and consequence, significance, and interpretation.

Our mixed-age class structure supports opportunities for collaboration and reflection, as older pupils deepen their thinking while younger children are introduced to new historical ideas with support.

Impact

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils at Manuden Primary School will:

• Have developed a secure understanding of historical events, concepts and chronology.

• Be able to ask and answer meaningful historical questions, using evidence to support their ideas.

• Understand how history shapes identity, culture and society, both locally and globally.

• Have experienced rich, engaging learning that fosters curiosity and prepares them for the next stage of their education and lifelong learning.

Most importantly, we want our pupils to leave Manuden with a love of history, an appreciation of how it connects to the world today, and the confidence to continue exploring the past as active, thoughtful and informed young citizens.