Here at Loose we believe that historical knowledge should be built up over a child’s life, and within our curriculum, we offer children the opportunity to explore links between different time periods and civilisations. Throughout the curriculum, pupils are taught the substantive content which defines each period. This knowledge is meticulously planned and regularly revisited and elaborated upon. More abstract concepts, too, are carefully developed across the key stage, so that pupils gain an increasingly sophisticated understanding of, for example, kingship or empire. However, it is not only substantive knowledge that is taught. The disciplinary skills of history, such as source analysis, interpretation, perspective, continuity and change are all explicitly taught and practised.

In Year 1, children begin to look at History through the context of their own personal history, whilst introducing them to fundamental historical vocabulary. By Year 6, children at Loose will be able to; conduct a historical enquiry and ask historical questions; have an understanding of different time periods and where they appear on a timeline; and compare and contrast different historical periods. Throughout their career, children are encouraged to make links between the history they have learned and their own, personal history. During history lessons, children will explore civilisations and time periods through the observation of various sources, be it physical artefacts, primary and secondary resources and through research and discovery. They will also be encouraged to explore the reliability and validity of these sources, and critically analyse the accounts of historical events.

Throughout Key Stage 2, we look to ensure that there is an overview of some of the most important time periods in British and world history. Throughout the curriculum, British history is visited regularly starting from prehistoric Britain right through to our involvement in the two World Wars. The world history units cover Ancient Greece, Shang Dynasty, Middle East, Benin Kingdom and Civil Rights giving children an introduction to some key periods within world History.  Some of the units we teach bring children right up to the present day so they can see exactly how events in the past have shaped the lives of people today.