History at Armley Park Primary School

History is all around us. The study of history ignites children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world. Through finding out about how and why the world, our country, culture and local community have developed over time, children understand how the past influences the present. History enables children to develop a context for their growing sense of identity and a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. What they learn through history can influence their decisions about personal choices, attitudes and values. At Armley Park Primary School, our intent, when teaching history, is to stimulate the children’s curiosity in order for them to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding as well as reinforcing their comprehension, reasoning and problem-solving skills. 

To ensure that pupils develop a secure knowledge that they can build on, our History curriculum is organised into a progression model that outlines the skills, knowledge and vocabulary to be taught in a sequentially coherent way:

• Chronological Understanding
• Historical Understanding
• Historical Enquiry
• Interpretations and significance of historical periods
• Organisation and Communication

These are all mapped out to ensure that pupils build on secure prior knowledge.

Within our curriculum, we have identifies four key strands of substantive knowledge. These are:

• Invasion and Conflict
• Empire and Civilisation
• Monarchy and Power
• Invention and Innovation

We aim for all children to develop a genuine interest in history and a real sense of curiosity about how humanity has reached the point it has in the modern day and how they have been influenced by both key moments, eras and individuals.