History

At Coltishall Primary School, History helps children understand their place in the world and how the world around them came to be.

We want pupils to develop a rich understanding of both British and global history, while also learning how historians investigate and interpret the past.

Our aim is not simply for children to remember historical facts. We want them to ask significant questions, examine evidence, consider different interpretations and use their knowledge to reach increasingly well-informed conclusions.

Our Enquiry Approach

History at Coltishall is organised around enquiry questions.

Rather than studying periods as collections of disconnected facts, children investigate significant people, events and places in order to explore wider historical ideas.

Questions across the school include:

• Are superheroes real? – exploring Edith Cavell;

• Would you like to go to the Moon?

• How did the Great Fire change London?

• Should we call Grace O’Malley a pirate?

• What period would you most like to live in?

• How true is the statement “Egypt is the gift of the Nile”?

• How did the Romans change Britain?

• How have the Ancient Greeks changed history?

• Is village life in Coltishall the same as life in an Anglo-Saxon village?

• What was life like in Baghdad during the Golden Age of Islam?

• What makes Norwich a fine city?

• Why do the Vikings have a bad reputation?

• How did Britain and the Allies win the Second World War?

As children become more experienced historians, they move from answering questions set by their teacher towards devising, pursuing and refining their own historically valid questions.

Thinking Like a Historian

Alongside substantive knowledge about people, places and events, children develop the disciplinary knowledge needed to think historically.

Throughout the curriculum, they explore:

• chronology;

• continuity and change;

• cause and consequence;

• similarity and difference;

• historical significance;

• sources and evidence;

• different interpretations of the past.

These concepts are revisited in increasingly sophisticated ways as children move through the school.

Sources, Evidence and Interpretation

Children learn that our knowledge of the past is constructed from evidence.

From an early age they use photographs, objects, stories, written sources, visits and other evidence to find out about the past.

As they progress, pupils learn to distinguish between primary and secondary sources, compare different accounts and consider how useful and reliable evidence may be.

Older pupils explore why interpretations may differ and learn that sources can contain bias, opinion, propaganda or misinformation.

We want children to understand that history is not simply a fixed story: historians examine evidence, question it and sometimes reach different conclusions.

Local, British and Global History

Our curriculum deliberately combines local, British and global history.

Children study significant local places and people including Edith Cavell, Norwich Castle, the Norfolk Broads, Cromer, Norwich and Coltishall itself.

These local studies sit alongside major periods and developments in British history including the Stone Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and the Second World War.

Children also study wider world history through areas such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Grace O’Malley and Ireland, and Baghdad and the Islamic world during its Golden Age.

This helps pupils see Britain as part of a much wider historical story.

Wider Historical Themes

Children build chronological knowledge, but our curriculum also develops understanding through recurring themes.

These include:

• movement and migration;

• technological change;

• daily life;

• settlement and invasion;

• trade and exchange;

• power and government;

• continuity and change.

Revisiting themes in different historical contexts enables children to make connections between periods rather than seeing each unit in isolation.

A Range of Voices and Perspectives

We deliberately include a diverse range of historical voices and perspectives.

Children consider the lives and experiences of different groups within societies and learn that accounts of the past may depend on whose perspective is being considered.

This helps pupils develop both historical understanding and the ability to examine claims critically.

Making History Tangible

We want History to feel real and accessible.

Children encounter the past through:

• historical artefacts and sources;

• drama and role play;

• visits to museums and significant local places;

• expert visitors and experience days where appropriate;

• open-ended projects and presentations;

• independent and goal-orientated research.

These experiences help children move beyond simply reading about history and instead investigate it for themselves.

Communicating Historical Understanding

Children demonstrate their historical understanding in different ways.

They may write, debate, present, draw, use timelines and diagrams, undertake research, use drama and role play or create independent projects.

As they become more experienced historians, pupils are expected to select relevant evidence, consider different viewpoints and justify their conclusions.

History in the Early Years

In Reception, children begin to develop historical understanding through the Past and Present aspect of Understanding the World.

They talk about their families and experiences, explore similarities and differences between the past and present, sequence events and listen to stories set in different times.

Children develop early chronological language through discussions about yesterday, today, the past and events in their own lives.

Stories, photographs, family experiences, community visitors and visits help establish the foundations for later historical enquiry.

History Across the Curriculum

We make clear distinctions between History and other subjects, while also making meaningful connections where these deepen learning.

Historical knowledge may provide rich contexts for reading and writing in English, while local studies can connect naturally with Geography and fieldwork.

Through the wider curriculum, books, visits and special events, children also encounter periods, people and perspectives beyond the formal History programme.

Our aim is for pupils to leave Coltishall with a secure sense of chronology, a broad understanding of the past and, most importantly, the confidence to question evidence, consider different perspectives and think like historians.