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Primary & Nursery School

History

The National Curriculum for History

PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_History.pdf

History Intent

We offer a high-quality history education that will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Progression in History

Nursery History

Reception History

  • Remember and talk about significant events in their own experiences.

  • Know about similarities and differences between themselves and others.

  • Recognise the difference between past and present in their own lives.

  • Talk about events in their own experiences that are important to them.

  • Know and recount episodes from their own past.

  • Read different versions of the same (traditional) stories.

  • Children talk about past and present events in their own lives.

  • Can talk about some of the things they have observed.

  • Understands how and why questions. Begins to use more complex sentences to link thoughts. Talks about why things happen and how things work.

  • Sequence photographs from different parts of their life. Match objects to people of different ages.

  • Know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.

  • Recognise the difference between past and present in their own and others’ lives.

  • Describe an event or family member from their past that is important to remember

  • Know and recount episodes from their own and others’ past, saying why it happened.

  • Use stories to encourage children to distinguish between fact and fiction.

  • Talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members.

  • Talk about some of the things they have observed, question why things happen and give explanations.

  • Answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to events. Develop their own explanations by connecting ideas and events

Year 1 History

Year 2 History

  • Develop, then demonstrate an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time

  • Show where places, people and events fit into a broad chronological framework

  • Begin to use dates

  • Develop, the use a wide vocabulary of historical terms, such as: a long time ago, recently, when my…. were younger, years,

  • Begin to ask and answer questions about events e.g. When? What happened?

  • Look at some ways that the past is represented, e.g. fictional accounts, illustrations, films, songs etc.

  • Discuss change and continuity in an aspect of life, e.g. holidays

  • Show where places, people and events fit into a broad chronological framework

  • Develop, the use a wide vocabulary of historical terms, such as: a long time ago, recently, when my…. were decades, centuries

  • Ask and begin to answer questions about events e.g. When? What happened? What was it like…? Why? Who was involved?

  • Understand some ways we find out about the past. e.g. using artefacts, pictures, stories and websites

  • Choose and use parts of stories and other sources to show understanding of events

  • Communicate understanding of the past in a variety of ways

  • Identify different ways that the past is represented, e.g. fictional accounts, illustrations, films, song, museum displays

  • Discuss change and continuity in an aspect of life, e.g. holidays

  • Recognise why people did things

  • Recognise why some events happened

  • Recognise what happened as a result of people’s actions or events

  • Identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods, including their own lives

Year 3 History

Year 4 History

  • Develop increasingly secure chronological knowledge and understanding of history, local and British

  • Put events, people, places and artefacts on a time- line

  • Use correct terminology to describe events in the past

  • Develop use of appropriate subject terminology, such as: empire, civilisation, monarch

  • Ask and answer questions about the past, considering aspects of change, cause, similarity and difference and significance

  • Begin to understand that knowledge about the past is constructed from a variety of sources

  • Construct and organise responses by looking at relevant historical data sources

  • Be aware that different versions of the past may exist and begin to suggest reasons for this

  • Describe and begin to make links between main events, situations and changes within and across different periods and societies (local and British)

  • Identify and give reasons for historical events, situations and changes (local and British)

  • Identify some of the results of historical events, situations and changes (local and British)

  • Describe some of the similarities and differences between different periods, e.g. social, belief, local, individual (local and British)

  • Develop increasingly secure chronological knowledge and understanding of history, British and world

  • Put events, people, places and artefacts on a time- line

  • Use correct terminology to describe events in the past

  • Develop use of appropriate subject terminology, such as: empire, civilisation, monarch

  • Ask and answer questions about the past, considering aspects of change, cause, similarity and difference and significance

  • Suggest where we might find answers to questions considering a range of sources

  • Understand that knowledge about the past is constructed from a variety of sources

  • Construct and organise responses by selecting relevant historical data

  • Be aware that different versions of the past may exist and begin to suggest reasons for this

  • Describe and begin to make links between main events, situations and changes within and across different periods and societies (British and world)

  • Identify and give reasons for historical events, situations and changes (British and world)

  • Identify some of the results of historical events, situations and changes (British and world)

  • Describe some of the similarities and differences between different periods, e.g. social, belief, local, individual (British and world)

Year 5 History

Year 6 History

  • Develop increasingly secure chronological knowledge and understanding of history, local, British and world

  • Put events, people, places and artefacts on a time- line

  • Use correct terminology to describe events in the past

  • Record knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways, using dates and key terms appropriately

  • Devise, ask and answer more complex questions about the past, considering key concepts in history

  • Select sources independently and begin to give reasons for choices

  • Begin to analyse a range of source material to promote evidence about the past

  • Construct and organise response by selecting and organising relevant historical data

  • Understand that the past is represented and interpreted in different ways and begin to give reasons for this

  • Describe and begin to make links between main events, situations and changes within and across different periods and societies

  • Begin to offer explanations about why people in the past acted as they did

  • Show understanding of some of the similarities and differences between different periods, e.g. social, belief, local, individual


  • Develop increasingly secure chronological knowledge and understanding of history, local, British and world

  • Put events, people, places and artefacts on a time- line

  • Use correct terminology to describe events in the past

  • Elect to record knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways, using dates and key terms appropriately

  • Devise, ask and answer more complex questions about the past, considering key concepts in history

  • Select sources independently and give reasons for choices

  • Analyse a range of source material to promote evidence about the past

  • Construct and organise response by selecting and organising relevant historical data

  • Understand that the past is represented and interpreted in different ways and give reasons for this

  • Describe and begin to make links between main events, situations and changes within and across different periods and societies

  • Begin to offer explanations about why people in the past acted as they did

  • Show understanding of some of the similarities and differences between different periods, e.g. social, belief, local, individual