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History

‘History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.'
Michelle Obama

 

The aim of history at Connor Downs Academy is to give the children a wider perspective on their world and to provide the beginnings of an understanding of the human situation.

In Reception, History is incorporated within the 'Understanding of the World' strand under the EYFS programme of study. Children will develop their understanding of the past and now. They learn about their lives and their family history within the topic 'How have I changed since I was a baby'. They will begin to develop their understanding of change and aging when talking about their family members. Children will compare and contrast characters from stories including figures from the past such as kings, queens, and famous people that provide the foundations for historical concepts whilst studying traditional tales. Children will also compare familiar situations in the past through the topics on transport and holidays.

 

The National Curriculum for History aims to ensure that children from Year 1 through to Year 6:

  •   Investigate, consider, reflect and review the events of the past.
  •   Communicate their historical knowledge in increasingly sophisticated ways.
  •   Inspire pupil’s curiosity to know more about the past. 
  •   Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
  •   Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.
  •   Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’.
  •   Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses. 
  •   Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
  •   Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

 

 

Alongside important historical knowledge of people, places and events, children are encouraged to develop transferable skills they can use across the curriculum and in later life, such as perceptive questions, thinking critically and weighing evidence.

 

Also, by stimulating the children’s interest of other times and places children develop an awareness of themselves in relation to their community and the part they can play in it.

 

Attention is given to ensuring that children understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today. We also feel that developing children’s skills of enquiry is important so that they are able to ask not just what happened in history, but also to ask and discover why.

 

We aim to help our children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world, inspiring their curiosity to know more about the past. We equip the children to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. 

 

History helps us to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as our own identity and the challenges of our time.

 

Throughout the year annual events, such as Historical Fun Friday allow the children to be immersed in the learning within a rich and effective environment. Staff and children ‘become’ people from different times and places, researching costume, culture, belief’s and origins that extend their learning beyond the classroom.

 

Annually on 11th November, Connor Downs Academy is invited to attend a special Service of Remembrance at Hayle War Memorial. Many children and families take part. Our school councillors and other children from our community attend. The children lay a wreath to remember our fallen heroes on behalf of the pupils, staff, families and community of Connor Downs Academy.

 

As a school we value the significance of this occasion in our lives and have learnt a lot from our annual participation.

 

We are always incredibly proud of the respectful way all our children take part and very much valued sharing this special event with the wider community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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