How we teach it

Our teaching of history refers to the understanding of how historians investigate the past and construct historical claims, arguments, and narratives. In essence, it is the knowledge required to carry out a historical enquiry. Children develop disciplinary knowledge within meaningful historical contexts.

Units of learning are structured around central historical concepts, which focus on key aspects of disciplinary knowledge. These questions guide pupils’ exploration of the past, helping them critically evaluate the validity of historical claims and place their knowledge within a wider context. This approach helps pupils understand that history can be viewed in different ways and that historical stories often reflect specific perspectives.

Disciplinary knowledge fosters historical reasoning and critical thinking, which is systematically developed in our curriculum through the following disciplinary concepts:

• Historical significant people: exploring how significant individuals have contributed to national and international achievements
• Historical significant events: events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally

By engaging with these disciplinary concepts, pupils develop the tools to think critically about history.

To ensure inclusivity, our history curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including those with SEND. Children with SEND use their own visual timelines that focus on ‘now and then,’ helping them understand the concept of time in a way that is meaningful to them. Their learning emphasizes the present—who they are as individuals and discovering their own interests—while building awareness that there are significant people in their lives, such as teachers and familiar adults. This approach ensures history feels relevant and accessible, supporting personal identity and connection before moving towards broader historical ideas.

What pupils have learnt

By the end of EYFS and Key Stage 1, our history curriculum inspires, curiosity and a love for learning about the past. Children develop a strong sense of time and place, understanding how their own lives connect to the wider world and how people and events from the past have shaped it.

Through engaging stories, exploration of artefacts and discussions, children begin to ask and answer questions about the past, building key skills such as critical thinking and reasoning.

By the end of key stage 1 our children are confident young historians who can share their ideas, reflect upon what they have learnt and understand the importance of history in shaping the future.

UIS History Medium Term plan

End of year expectation History

Children begin to understand the sequence of their day through visual timetables, helping them see what comes next and develop a sense of routine. In Reception, we build on this by creating a yearly timeline of special events we’ve experienced as a class, giving children a broader sense of time and chronology.

-Creating simple personal timelines (baby  → now)

-Comparing life in the past with life today (special people)

-Asking questions about pictures, and photos from the past

• Building simple chronological timelines of events within living and beyond memory
• Beginning to identify similarities and differences between past and present
• Ordering events from topics such as King Richard III and The Great Fire of London
• Using photos, and stories as historical sources

• Pacing events beyond living memory on a timeline
• Comparing different historical periods e.g The Black Plague vs Covid 19
• Understanding the impact within historical events
• Sequencing key events in significant people’s lives

• Children learn about significant people in our community—such as nurses and police officers —and explore how their roles and contributions have evolved from the past to the present
• Beginning to compare people from different times (e.g., nurses then vs now)
• Building curiosity: asking “Who were they?”, “What did they do?”

• Learning about significant individuals from the local area who have had an impact on world history e.g. David Attenborough and King Richard III
• Understanding their achievements using photos and stories
• Beginning to place the person on a simple timeline
• Recognising the reasons why someone is remembered

• Studying national figures such as Samuel Pepys, Thomas Cook and Emily Pankhurst
• Comparing individuals across time and identifying what made them significant
• Sequencing key events from their lives and understanding their legacy
• Using historical sources to answer questions about them

• Exploring past events that have happened within school such as Assemblies, Bonfire Night, Halloween, Diwali, Eid and Christmas
• Exploring past events that are significant to the individual child e.g., birthdays, weddings, holidays.
• Beginning to understand why events are remembered
• Sequencing significant school events through timelines
• Talking about how events have influenced their lives
• Making simple comparisons with life today

• Studying events within living and beyond memory e.g. Women’s Rights and The Black Plague
• Sequencing Key events on our class timeline
• Understanding why an event is important and how we know about it
• Using pictures and storytelling to investigate events

This week we welcomed a visiting production company for a very special show all about The Great Fire of London. Through lively storytelling, colourful costumes and fun interactive moments we learnt how the fire started, what London was like in 1666 and how the people worked together to put out the flames. Our guests bought the story to life and helped deepen the understanding of this important event from the past.

• Studying events beyond living memory such as The Suffragettes, Covid 19
• Understanding key causes, what happened, and the consequences
• Placing events on a timeline and linking them to significant people
• Using a variety of historical sources (diaries, artwork, maps, photographs)