History Vision

History is all around us and is part of who we are.  It is being made right now and is constantly changing and evolving.  When teaching history at our school, we want to ignite a life-long passion in our pupils to learn about the past and engage  pupil’s curiosity to discover how their world has changed over time. 

Our curriculum starts off with our pupils’ own history and expands to that of their local area, country and then the wider world.  The key figures and events we have chosen to teach our pupils reflect all genders, races, ages and backgrounds so that all pupils in our school can see how history has shaped their lives today.

From the children

"I loved learning about Ancient Egypt, especially about mummification and how they pulled out people's brains through their noses!" Mollie, Year 3

"I am so excited about our new space topic, I can't wait to find out how they travelled to space!" Lunar, Year 1

"I really enjoyed learning about Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II.  Elizabeth I lived a long time ago and they wore different clothes.  She used lots of dangerous things for her make-up!" Lauren, Year 2

"I loved all our history topics this year.  One of my favourite lessons was when we got to be hunter gatherers and 'hunt' animals and 'gather' berries in the wood."  Teddie, Year 3

From the History Co-ordinator

Hi, I'm Mrs Gauntlett and I'm the History Co-ordinator for Folly View Primary.  History was always my favourite subject at school and I loved it so much that I studied it at university!  My goal is that the children at Folly View Primary will love history as much as I do.  I am so excited about the topics that we teach at our school.  We start with our youngest children by looking at their own personal history - their families and the people around them, expanding as they get older to look at the local history of Faringdon, national history and then world history.  Some of my favourite topics at FVP include learning about people who stood up for what they believe in - Rosa Parks and Greta Thunberg, the history of space travel and the Ancient Egyptians!  By the time the children leave our school, they will have a deep understanding of a variety of historical periods and how the lives of people during these times can impact their lives today.

History Policy

Below is the History Policy for Folly View Primary School.  It is a guide that explains how we teach history at our school.  It explains our teaching approaches with history and the key concepts of learning we focus on.  The policy also explains how we assess and monitor the teaching and learning of history.

History Objectives

The document below shows an overview of the core knowledge and understanding that should be covered within History across EYFS, KS1 and KS2, which is taken from the Development Matters and National Curriculum documents.

Intent

History is all around us and is part of who we are.  History is being made right now and is constantly changing and evolving.  When teaching history at our school, we want to ignite a life-long passion in our pupils to learn about the past and engage their curiosity to discover how their world has changed over time.  Our pupils are encouraged to put themselves in the shoes of others, helping them to develop respect, as well as their own sense of identity.

Our history curriculum at Folly View Primary reflects our pupils and our community.  We study key men, women and children from our recent past to those who lived beyond living memory.  Our topics include themes of immigration, race and class.  We have chosen figures who have influenced our lives and events that have shaped the world we live in, making sure that they are relevant and interesting to our pupils.

We feel it is important for children to learn about the past to help them understand their place in the world; locally, nationally and globally.  To make local history relevant to our pupils, we take them on local walks around Faringdon and invite visitors into our school to talk about their own experiences.  In Nursery, the children start by learning about their own history and that of their family before moving out to their wider environment as they move further up the school.  We teach children a sense of chronology, and through this they develop a sense of identity, and a cultural understanding based on their heritage.

For every topic, we start with an enquiry question and develop the pupils’ knowledge by asking and exploring further questions.  We make sure we introduce pupils to primary historical sources, such as artefacts, photographs and news reports, as well as having key texts for each topic.  To enrich our curriculum we include trips, themed days and visitors, to engage and inspire our pupils.

History Progression

At Folly View Primary, we want to make sure that our pupils have a rich and rounded education, building on what they have learnt in the previous year.  In History, we focus on key knowledge concepts (themes) within our different topics, to build upon and show progression.

These core concepts are: 

• Class
• Settlements
• Monarchy
• Power
• Confilct
• Migration
• Religion
• Race

The progression document below shows how these strands are built upon as a pupil progresses through our school.

History Long Term Plan

Below is the document detailing our coverage of the history objectives from Nursery to Year 5.  It shows the different history topics that are taught in each year group and how the history objectives fit into each of these topics.  Each topic is taught via an enquiry question, such as 'Who stood up for what they believe in?'

What does History look like at Folly View Primary School?

Black History Month

Every year we celebrate 'Black History Month' across the school.  This year, every class chose an important black figure from history to celebrate.

The Platinum Jubilee

We loved celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee at our school!  We had a day of learning all about the Queen and even had our own 'street party' on the field for lunch!  We looked at celebration plates from previous Jubilees and had a go at making our own.  We read stories about the Queen and found out about all the changes that she has seen in her life.  

Black History Month

In October we celebrated Black History Month.  This is not the only time we celebrate black figures from history but we took this opportunity to choose a different man or woman from history to learn more about.  Have a look below at some of our learning!