'A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots'

Marcus Garvey

History is a crucial element of a rich primary curriculum. It enables children to make sense of their  present through the past, and develops their understanding of the complexity and diversity of human societies and their development. At Broomgrove Junior School, our intent is to spark our children's curiosity in human history around the world and throughout time. We aim to develop a secure understanding of how historians study the past and form interpretations. We intend to instil a deep understanding and knowledge of the past in all children, supporting those with SEND and providing challenge where appropriate.

Implementation: In our teaching of History, we inspire our children by creating a buzz during lessons. We mix hands-on experiences, child-led research and investigation, educational visits and opportunities for challenge and above all, we deliver fun and engaging lessons that children will remember and learn from. We are keenly aware of the importance of learning from experts, be it in-school visits from historical specialists, educational visits or studying historians' accounts of the past and documentaries. 

We measure the impact of teaching using the following assessment methods:

• Written work in pupils' books evidence a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Evidence in books of acquisition and appropriate use of key historical vocabulary.
• Use of mini-quizzes (Kahoot, for example) and use of knowledge organisers
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice). Through this we can ascertain not only pupil enjoyment of the subject, but also whether they have the vocabulary to talk confidently about significant historical events that they have learnt about.
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Termly reporting of standards across the curriculum.

Year 3's trip to Layer Marney April 2022

Year 3 visited Layer Marney Towers for an incredible Ancient Greek experience day. They enjoyed learning about the Trojan Horse myth, Ancient Greek daily life, The Olympics and The Twelve Labours of Heracles. This fantastic hands-on experience has supported an exciting topic on Ancient Greece.