St Anne's Catholic Primary School

achieving excellence in all our God given talents

Lowe Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B12 0ER

0121 675 5037

enquiry@st-annes.bham.sch.uk

History

Isaiah 46:9 the Lord commands, “Remember your history, your long and rich history.

At St. Anne’s, we will bring ‘History Alive’ for our pupils taking them on a journey of exploration and discovery throughout periods of History allowing them to engage with and examine themes in History and how they impact on today and the future.

Our History curriculum will enable pupils to develop their understanding of the world through an educated appreciation of History and offer them the opportunity to gain the key skills of analysis, critical thinking and enquiry. When evaluating the choices of humanity in History, we will reflect against our Jesuit values and connect it to our pursuit of following Jesus’ example to inform our choices as global citizens of today and the future.

History is important because it helps pupils to understand and interpret the past, and therefore, the present.

Through history, pupils develop a deeper cross-cultural awareness and understanding of their own and others’ heritage, through looking at evidence and asking and answering questions.

In history, we can analyse successes and failures, which, in turn, teaches us to learn from our mistakes.

 

Rationale

We teach history as part of a topic. This is in appreciation of the interconnectedness of our world and school community: highlighting, recognising and valuing the diversity of the school community and understanding that as humanity we are all part of God’s family. We recognise the value of history in helping children to understand and interpret their world, how the world has come to be as it is, their role in it and the responsibilities that come with it.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Roman 15:4

From Early Years to Year 6 at St Anne's , we endeavor to make learning memorable in order to develop historical skills and concepts; so that this can be built upon as the children develop their understanding. We want to ensure the children can apply these skills to whatever period of history is being studied, through use of clear assessment of children’s understanding and effective use of resources within lessons. Our curriculum ensures that essential skills and concepts are revisited and developed further so that the children can improve their understanding and embed into their long term memory. These key historical skills and concepts, which are revisited throughout different themes, include:  chronology, historical terms, historical enquiry, interpreting history, continuity and change, causes and consequences, similarities and differences and historical significance. 

Education is the most powerful weapon

we can use to change the world. 

(Nelson Mandela)

Equality of Provision and Inclusion

Teachers ensure that the classroom is an inclusive environment in which pupils feel all contributions are valued and allow all children to participate. Teaching is responsive to pupil’s different learning styles and their experiences and starting points are taken into account in order to engage all pupils. Teaching styles include collaborative learning so that pupils appreciate the value of working together. All pupils are encouraged to question, discuss and collaborate in problem solving tasks. Teachers challenge stereotypes and foster pupil’s critical awareness and concepts of fairness, enabling them to detect bias and challenge inequalities.

As a school we take reasonable and necessary steps to ensure that all children can access a broad and balanced curriculum. This includes ensuring that the environment  and lesson content is accessible. 

A wide variety of strategies are used to ensure that teaching meets the needs of different groups of pupils. These include:

Differentiating lessons by:

  • Using a range of differentiated resources.
  • Providing differentiated tasks where appropriate.
  • Differentiating questions.
  • Using a range of groupings within the class to teach children and support them.
  • The amount of adult support that is given and adapting this as necessary.


Effective lesson planning and management:

  • Setting clear objectives that are understood by each pupil.
  • Planning varied activities that motivate pupils and providing alternative activities where needed.
  • Creating an atmosphere of encouragement and providing opportunities for pupils to achieve success.
  • Identifying the most suitable pace for each student in order to provide sufficient individual challenge whilst fostering enthusiasm and facilitating concentration.
  • Involving pupils in taking responsibility for their own learning and encouraging them to develop effective study skills.

 

SMSC in History

Spiritual Development: Children have the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past that require spiritual reflections, such as the effects and impacts of war. Children have the chance to express their emotions individually and as part of whole school events. Children are enabled to see the best in humanity by studying inspirational figures who have contributed positively to humanity - often in arduous circumstances and in the face of many challenges. This empowers children to see what is possible when the spirit is strong, giving each child the courage to grow.

Moral Development: Children are regularly assessing the impact of civilisations on human history and making judgements about the successes and weaknesses of each civilisation. In this way, children are able to judge the positives and negatives in each time period. Whilst balancing the context of each civilisation and what was and was not acceptable in each era, pupils can gauge what would be morally acceptable in today’s world and the future world which their generation will lead. Children have the opportunity to consider the concepts and themes of equality and justice during their time at St. Anne’s.

Social Development: Children develop their social skills by communicating in group and whole class scenarios. In history, children have the opportunity to discuss and debate many important questions and sources providing pupils with a platform to develop public speaking whilst also being respectful to others when sharing alternative viewpoints.

Cultural Development: Children have many opportunities to learn about and experience many different cultures from around the world through our history curriculum. This gives pupils an appreciation of different ways of life and a respect for different cultures across different time periods. This understanding of different cultures across humanity can enrich an appreciation of our own journey as a generation that one day will be viewed as a part of history in a modern, highly-globalised technological age.

 

Rights Respecting in History:

Article 29 - Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.

Article 30 - Every child has the right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family, regardless of whether these are shared by the majority of the people in the country where they live.

 

British Values in History

The history curriculum promotes British Values throughout the school with carefully considered interleaving of recurring themes which are designed to build students’ confidence and assuredness in explaining the world they live in. Our aim is to encourage articulate, curious and engaged citizens, who can question and challenge inequality and unfairness in society.

British values, including those of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs are embedded in the History curriculum. Students will explore issues such as democracy in their historical context and relate them to the modern day through studying different periods in history . This enables the students to understand how, overtime, changes happened and to evaluate their impact.


By looking at the achievements of famous people including people from Britain, students develop an awareness of how they have influenced and shaped the country in which we live. This includes an appreciation of their work.

Teaching students to respect and value diversity is encouraged through showing respect for different viewpoints and ideas as well as in the ability to work individually and in groups.

 

Reading in History

At St Anne's, reading is at the heart of the curriculum. It is our intent to ensure that every child not only develops the skills of reading but also a love of reading
that will last them a lifetime. Our children read at home and school for pleasure, for information and to expand and enhance their knowledge and understanding across all
subjects. Appropriate opportunities are taken to enhance children’s learning in history through reading with the use of high-quality texts across a wide range of genres.

  • Through reading in history we look to ensure;
  • Knowledge of an extensive and rich vocabulary.
  • Fluency and accuracy in reading across a wide range of contexts throughout the curriculum.
  • To motivate children to read for both study and for pleasure.
  • Extend knowledge through reading a rich and varied range of texts.
  • A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgements.
  • A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.
  • The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate past events.
  • 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

 Famous Quotes: 

“A generation which ignores history has no past – and no future.” –  Robert A. Heinlein 

“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. ” ― Michael Crichton 

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey

“The history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton 

“History never looks like history when you are living through it.” – John W. Gardner 

“History gives answers only to those who know how to ask questions.” – Hajo Holborn 

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” – Maya Angelou 

“No volume of history is insignificant, even the worst chapters. Especially the worst chapters.” – Terri Guillemets 

“The best prophet of the future is the past.” – Lord Byron 

History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses.” – Charles Angoff 

If history records good things of good men, the thoughtful hearer is encouraged to imitate what is good.

Saint Bede

St. Bede the Venerable – 25 May – Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog