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History

Vision

At Wolfson Hillel, our pupils feel inspired to learn about the history of our country, our Jewish heritage and the wider world. From EYFS through to Year 6, we aim for pupils to understand the complexity of life, learn valuable lessons from the past and leave primary school as confident, responsible members of the community who are equipped to play a positive role in culturally diverse societies. Through a history curriculum which provides a balance of substantive knowledge and disciplinary concepts, pupils are encouraged to think critically, analyse evidence and form well founded historical opinions. We believe that it is vital for pupils to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of cultures and customs across the world, as well as recognise the richness of historical events, people and periods as an integral part of the past. By addressing misconceptions, we enable pupils to see history in its true complexity: fostering respect, empathy and a deeper appreciation of diversity. 

Our vision is for pupils to develop historical curiosity and a strong sense of gratitude to past generations who endured challenges, overcame hardships and made valuable contributions to societies. In doing so, our pupils will be inspired to shape a prosperous and inclusive future grounded in knowledge, respect and responsibility.

How we teach history

  • We teach history in three 4-week blocks across the year with each unit consisting of 8 lessons.
  • Each lesson consists of: retrieval, links to prior learning, explanation and modelling, guided practice, a hinge question, an independent task and a plenary.
  • We teach a variety of substantive concept linked to specific historical periods, events or people ensuring that pupils have a broad and well-rounded understanding of their topic.
  • We link disciplinary concepts to our substantive concepts to support pupils in thinking historically, making comparisons and making links between units and other subjects.
  • Lessons are taught to ensure pupils are thinking hard by using: specific and tailored questioning, cold calling, hinge questions and clear explanations of content covered.
  • We ensure opportunities for pupil analysis of sources and discussions and debates around pupils’ own opinions.
  • Tasks are designed carefully to promote deep thinking and ensure pupils have a solid understand of the content covered within the lesson.
  • Diversity is promoted in history through the study of a wide range of people, cultures and historical people from around the world.

How we ensure progress in history for all pupils

  • As pupils move from EYFS to KS1 and KS2, they will encounter repetition of key concepts – this allows for knowledge to be built upon, creating solid schemata.
  • Before each topic, a pre-unit quiz will be completed by pupils to inform teacher planning, ensure prior knowledge is built upon and misconceptions are addressed.
  • Responsive teaching, assessment and marking takes place to ensure teachers are aware of what children have understood to ensure gaps can be filled and progression is made.