HISTORY

PURPOSE AND INTENT

“The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.”

Maya Aangelou

Why do we study history? Why do we want to learn about the past? How can it help us today?

Our past gives us information about how our world has been shaped and how this, in turn has shaped our world today. Through the studying of the past, we learn about how our lives have been influenced today. Since the origins of democracy in the West, from the Ancient Greeks, people have fought throughout time for the right to be heard, to have a voice and be able to express their views freely, without fear. Yet still today, democracy is not a given for all people. Democracies still exist but does everyone have the same rights?  With Black Lives Matter, we know that our past has shown that societies values have changed overtime.  As a Rights Respecting School, this right to speak out, have a voice and a say in the things that matter to us features strongly in our curriculum.

At Trewirgie our children are encouraged to develop a social conscience, to understand how our word has been shaped and the inequalities that still exist today. Through developing an understanding of the past, they begin to learn how key people took a stand against this, such as Martin Luther King, or discovered new things or places, that changed the way we saw things, and consequently lived our lives. Democracy is therefore a thread that runs throughout our historical content.

 Exploration is the driving force of humankind. We have been exploring since the dawn of time because it is at the centre of everything that we do. Our job as historians is to recognise the past, and though this, use this knowledge to develop an awareness of how our world has been shaped and how this knowledge can be used to continue to enable us to be an active citizen who helps to shape our world both now, and into the future. Exploration is therefore a key strand to the history studied at Trewirgie.

Our History curriculum gives children the opportunity to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups. Through looking back, it helps our children to understand the challenges that our faced in our world today, such as climate change, inequalities, war and conflict, and how we can use our voice and actions, to help to shape this.

The curriculum at Trewirgie is based on exploration and discovery and our approach to learning is shaped by this. The content of our curriculum is therefore shaped by this too. Our history curriculum has carefully chosen content that enables children to:

• build up a coherent narrative and understanding of aspects of the past
• inspire in children an inquisitiveness to learn about, and from the past
• Understand our own rich cultural heritage of Cornwall, and how this was influenced, from ancient to modern times
• understand how people’s actions in the past have had good and bad influences on people’s lives in the world that how these have affected them now, and in the future
• Develop an empathy and understanding about past actions and the impact these have had on people’s lives
• Be inspired to stand up for what is right, speak out, have a voice, and use what they have learned from the past to help to shape a better future.

History is taught through progression of knowledge and skills. The progression of knowledge and skills has been carefully selected and tailored, to meet the needs of all children in KS2.

From September 2023 we will be launching our ‘Golden Threads’.

Below are the key historical skills that children develop. These are:

Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement 

History Content

History strategies for children with SEND