At St Michael’s Primary School we believe that history should inspire the children to learn about the past and how the events and people of the past have shaped the world we live in today. We aim to transform our children into historians who use a variety of sources, evidence and artefacts to investigate history for themselves.
Children at St Michael’s know that there are different interpretations of the past and can discuss why these differ. History at St Michaels is taught over 3 half terms under one of our two overarching themes; ‘Mysteries’ and ‘Peace and conflict’. Each unit begins with a key enquiry question and all learning builds towards answering this question.
Our historians focus on developing a deep understanding of historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance. History in kS2 is taught in chronological order from the Stone Age to the Second World War. This understanding of chronology builds a mental map of the changes in Britain and the wider world over time. In KS1, the children learn about important historical figures and events relevant to them and the place they live, such as: Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Queen Elizabeth II.