At Leighton, we aim to give our children a history curriculum which enables them to become independent, creative and confident learners. We would like our children to take the skills and knowledge they acquire in history and apply them to other subjects and in a variety of situations. All the staff at our school intend to broaden children’s real-life experiences both inside and outside the school through educational visits, visitors, experimentation and discovery. The school works hard to ensure the curriculum reflects our children’s heritage, expands their horizons and enables them to become forward thinkers when considering the wider world. Through historical concepts and knowledge, we would like the children at Leighton to understand how events have shaped their lives, from their town of Crewe to across the world over time. We would like children to become skilled to independently research and analyse their own historical learning and understanding through books, experiences, artefacts, research and reflection. Children will learn to think like a 'historian' through disciplinary concepts and discover how interpretations can differ, discussing and debating why?
The 'Golden Threads' throughout our curriculum include war and conflict, local history, leadership and influential people.
At Leighton Academy, all children become historians through full access to the curriculum.
At Leighton, history begins from the beginning in the very early foundations of education. Early Years begins from 2 years of age and children will be learning in the specific area of 'Understanding of the World' where they can explore all about their world and the changes over time. Indoor and outdoor provision, stories, rhymes, photos, discussions and mathematical concepts are some ways that we explore historical understanding.
Key Stage 1 build on this by using these early taught concepts of change and begin to build on the vocabulary and disciplinaries to begin to learn about historical events.
Key Stage 2 will continue to learn chronologically from ancient civilizations up to current events, becoming confident and independent historians and understanding how to interpret information. Previously taught disciplinaries and vocabulary will be revisited and built upon to encourage confident children who will 'think like a historian' in preparation for KS3.
Our full curriculum overview/key skills and progression documents highlight how progression is made from the early years through to Year 6 and beyond. Enquiry questions encourage new thinking and skills and connections to previous learning is evident throughout.
Children at Leighton Academy:
• Build on prior substantive knowledge, concepts and disciplinaries.
• Discuss, debate, reflect, analyse, compare, research, evaluate and retrieve every lesson.
• Learn about the significance and consequences of historical events, how they link from a humanities approach and how this has had an impact on life today.
• Learn from meaningful experiences that reflect their heritage.
• Develop specific historical vocabulary and knowledge from lessons and from the wider curriculum using a range of innovative lessons and experiences.
• Learn from practical experiences such as museum visits, school visitors, workshops, artefacts, role play, whole school events and celebrations.
• Use knowledge and skills sheets, retrieval exercises and reflections to encourage deeper thinking. These all support evidence of the learning and progression taking place.
• Use enquiry questions throughout their learning to understand why they are learning what they are and to see this as part of a meaningful journey. An enquiry-based approach shows progression and understanding when learning as a historian.
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Children will be provided with the foundations for understanding the world.
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Children will be exposed to and understand high quality vocabulary that can apply in a range of situations.
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Children will have a wide variety of skills linked to historical knowledge, skills and enquiry.
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Children will be able to think critically and analytically.
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Children will be able to ask questions based on curiosity of the world around them.
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Children will know why it is important to learn about history and how this can shape the future.
Useful web links
