History, at Ouston Primary school, forms an integral part of the curriculum and is taught individually through enquiry- based learning programmes. We want all of our pupils to understand the past in a way that will inform their future in a more enlightened way. We believe the study of history inspires children’s curiosity, encourages them to ask critical questions and enables them to have a better understanding of the society in which they live and that of the wider world. It also helps children gain a sense of their own identity, ancestry and lineage within a social, political, cultural and economic background. Finally, it enhances children’s ability to weigh evidence and generate arguments, improve their chronological understanding and develop their sense of perspective.
We want our pupils to be passionate about history. Our History Curriculum is full of enquiries which foster awe and wonder and actively motivate children to ask: Why? Wherever possible, links are made between subjects in enquiries with overarching themes to contextualise and motivate learners. The learning objectives of each lesson draw from knowledge and skills included in the National Curriculum for History and enquiries provide highly productive opportunities to use and apply skills in other subjects; our pupils’ creative writing linked to history enquiries is a particularly good example of this.
