Intent

Our aim at Ringwood Junior School is for History learning to be an exciting and engaging subject that teaches children about the past. Learning opportunities allow children to explore the everyday life of people who lived in these British Isles starting with the beginnings of human history in the Stone Age through to the Norman conquest in 1066.  We want children to have a rich understanding of the history of Britain through the ages. A study of maritime history allows children to learn about the past in their own locality and explore a theme of history extending beyond 1066. British history is contrasted with learning about other civilisations across the world to give children a chance to gain a wider perspective of the past. Our historians will be taught to compare and make links between these areas of learning, with the aim of developing engaged, motivated and curious learners that can reflect on the past, make meaningful links to the present day and develop their own perspective and judgement.

Implementation

History is taught regularly in learning projects usually lasting 6-8 weeks.  Lessons aim to answer big questions such as ‘What impact did the Romans have on Britain?’ and ‘What similarities and differences are there between the Maya civilisation and Viking Britain?’ Each of these projects are enriched with visits and visitors. A visit to the Mary Rose and H.M.S Warrior provides children with a chance to see contrasting construction techniques and differing living conditions aboard the Mary Rose and HMS Warrior.  A visiting Iron Age warrior allows children the opportunity to handle artefacts in Year 3 and when visiting Cranborne Technology Centre children experience everyday life tasks would have been like in an Anglo-Saxon settlement.

Each project is planned to develop the children’s understanding of the key historical skills (chronology, characteristic features, continuity and change cause and consequence, significance, interpretation of the past and historical enquiry) and progression of these skills is developed as they move through the school.

Artefact boxes are provided for each project allowing children to handle real or replica artefacts from the past.  This gives children the chance to construct their own questions about objects and develop their own theories and conclusions drawing upon their knowledge of the period studied or other similar artefacts previously explored.

Each project considers the role of significant historians or archaeologists so children gain an understanding of how these important jobs help us build our understanding and knowledge of the past with the evidence available to us to date.

Substantive concepts (civilisation, empire, trade, settlement, movement, power, invasion) are taught as ‘golden threads’ that can be seen as recurring throughout the different periods of the past we study.

Impact

As children progress through the school they will have growing knowledge of the history of our islands, how people lived their lives, how they were governed, the disputes they had with each other and the progress made in living standards and technology. They will learn this through research, placing events in time order, investigating the causes and consequences of events, the significance of people and the legacy for future generations. They will use a range of sources to interpret these events and arrive at valid conclusions. They will be fascinated, inspired and curious historians able to construct their own arguments using evidence to support their views.