London Fields Primary School

History

History at London Fields Primary School

We are passionate about History at London Fields.  Studying history gives pupils the opportunity to develop an understanding of why the world and its people are the way they are today.  They begin to ask questions as they explore the diversity of human experience, past lives and societies.  At London Fields, children develop an understanding of how History has had an impact on our lives today both locally, nationally and internationally. Lessons are planned so that there is time for discussion and debate, fostering an environment of enquiry which enables children to revise and justify their opinions as well as encouraging children to ask and answer questions about the past.

Our History Curriculum develops the essential characteristics of historians:

• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events, and contexts from a range of historical periods and of historical concepts and processes.
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas very confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
• The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence derived from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry. 
• A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways. 
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgments.
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.

How History is taught at London Fields

The History curriculum is designed to help pupils form a History schema within their long-term memories.

Schema theory states that all knowledge is organised into units. A schema is, therefore, a conceptual system for understanding knowledge. 

Our History schema is a way of organising History semantic and procedural knowledge in a meaningful way; it is an appreciation of how facts are connected and the ways in which they are connected.  It is distinct from information, which is just isolated facts that have no organisational basis or links.

Big Ideas help form the basis of the schema. Big Ideas are key concepts that underpin the subject. There are three Big Ideas in History:

• Investigating and interpreting the past (Recognising that our understanding of the past comes from an interpretation of the available evidence and using historical techniques to find out about the past.)
• Building an overview of world history (Appreciating the characteristic features of the past and that these features are similar and different across time periods, and understanding that life is different for different sections of society.)
• Understanding chronology – (Understanding how to chart the passing of time and how some aspects of history happened at similar times in different places.)

Each Big Idea has facets of knowledge (knowledge categories) which help to strength the schema. Learning knowledge in each of the categories allows pupils to express and demonstrate their understanding of the Big Idea.

Over the course of an academic year, pupils experience a number of History topics in which the Big Ideas are returned to over and over again so the pupils gradually build understanding of them. Pupils also get opportunities to apply their knowledge and develop fluency in key procedural knowledge in other curriculum areas. 

The EYFS curriculum prepares pupils for Geography in Year 1 and beyond by providing opportunities for pupils to make sense of their own life-story and their family history. Pupils also explore pictures, stories, artefacts and accounts from the past explaining similarities and differences and begin to organise events using basic chronology, recognising that things happened before they were born. Pupils develop an understanding of the past and present through texts, images and storytelling and explore fictional and non-fictional characters from a range of cultures and times in storytelling. Pupils will explore resources that reflect the diversity of life in Modern Britain and explore different cultures, traditions and beliefs from across the world.

Click here for more general information about the curriculum.

Click here for more information about the EYFS curriculum.

History Trips, Visitors and Workshops

We strongly believe that trips, visitors and workshops are highly valuable for developing a deep understanding of the Big Ideas in History and bringing the subject to life.

At London Fields Primary, we believe that trips, visitors and workshops are help cement historical understanding and bring history to life. We are lucky enough to be situated within easy access of some of the country’s most prestigious historical venues such as The British Museum, The Museum of London, The Tower of London and The Imperial War Museum and even Pudding Lane itself!

Staff are constantly looking for new experiences that will enrich the learning of their pupils.  Previous experiences have included:

• Trips to the Roman Villa and the Verulamium in St Albans
• Visit to the Museum of London Firewalk
• Visiting London’s Roman Amphitheatre