Intent

At St Gabriel’s all students experience a rich curriculum of historical enquiry. History is taught as discreet subject, alternating (in the majority of classes) each half term, with geography. Links are made with learning in other subjects where relevant, meaningful and to refer to prior learning, enabling pupils to develop a coherent knowledge and a deep understanding about Britain’s  past and that of the wider world.

Through the teaching of history we support children to understand the process of change and the diversity of societies that have influenced these changes. Children improve their critical interpretation of key

moments, places and people of the past to understand how the modern world has been shaped.

We want children to understand the contributions that civilisations all over the world have made and

make comparisons for a broader overview of local, British and world history. We intend for children to 

examine the ways in which we learn about the past, both distant and recent, and the lenses through

which we come to understand about the past. Areas of study have been selected to help children make links

and identify patterns across history and across societies and form their own opinions and critical thinking,

employing the strategies and skills of historians.

Implementation

At St Gabriel’s, we teach history through an enquiry based approach. We maintain strong links to the

National Curriculum guidelines to ensure all aspects, knowledge and skills of History are being taught

across all year groups. We use progression grids to ensure there are clear skills, knowledge and vocabulary progression throughout school. Historical enquiry allows our children to question, interpret, explain and communicate their reasoning as a historian. Each lesson is launched with an enquiry ‘big question’ –

a question where the answer is unknown at the beginning of a series of lessons, but one that the children

will be able to answer by the end. Within lessons, children will build and develop their knowledge as well

as developing skills such as posing questions, thinking critically, considering evidence and evaluating

arguments. We hope that these skills will support pupils to reflect on the constant process of historical

change and the diverse nature of societies and relationships. As children move throughout the school,

their knowledge grows across different time periods and they build upon and develop their learning from

previous years.

All classes capitalise on our fantastic location and organise excursions to some of the amazing historical

locations in and around London; Tower of London, British History Museum, Westminster Abbey etc. As

well a wide variety trips, some classes arrange visiting specialists who operate themed events within

the school, bringing history to life i.e. The study of ‘The Unknown Warrior’ with Westminster Archives.

Impact

Through consistent  high quality  teaching of History, our pupils are engaged and motivated in all lessons. Outcomes in children's books, evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum and demonstrate

the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge. They are able to use a range of historical skills

across units of work and can confidently discuss themes from a range of viewpoints. Emphasis is placed on

analytical thinking and questioning, which helps pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of

Britain’s past and  that of the wider world and our pupils are curious to know more about the past. Our pupils are

able to  ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective

and judgement. Class displays are rich in vocabulary and children are able to participate in high level

discussions using new words with confidence

Because assessment for learning strategies are integrated throughout all lessons,  standards in History 

match standards in other subject areas.