About Our History Curriculum

Across the school, we teach History using the CUSP curriculum, which pays close attention to guidance provided by the National Curriculum sequence and content. Our ambitious History curriculum has the intention of increasing children’s historical thinking, enriching children’s tier-2 and tier-3 vocabulary and wider view of the world, and putting what they learn into practice.

The following core disciplines and concepts underpin our teaching of History, and we strive to weave these concepts into each unit we teach:

• Chronological understanding (ordering events in time and understanding the narrative of the past)

• Historical enquiry (asking perceptive questions, thinking critically, and weighing evidence)

• Historical interpretation (understanding how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed)

• Substantive concepts (developing deep understanding of recurring themes such as empire, civilization, monarchy, power, and trade)

At the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior Schools, we aim to provide a rich experience of History that enables our children to experience both depth and breadth in the units they cover. This is achieved through our CUSP-aligned spaced learning sequence, which includes integrated retrieval opportunities where we systematically revisit prior learning from earlier units and previous years to consolidate knowledge.

The methodology for teaching History at the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior Schools is to provide opportunities for children to develop their questioning skills, ignite curiosity about the past, and widen their knowledge of how the modern world was shaped. We want our children to respond proactively and positively to historical evidence, striving to learn more about diverse societies, the relationships between different groups, and the complexity of people’s lives. We recognise that ‘our children are the future’ and they need to be equipped with the necessary historical perspective, cultural capital, and critical thinking skills to understand their own identity and the society they live in today.

We also recognise that History encompasses a broad range of subject knowledge and draws on disciplines from the wider world such as geography, English, art, and science. We believe making these curriculum connections—such as linking historical events to geographical locations or analyzing the technological advancements of past civilizations—are essential components that help to engage and connect our children with the opportunities History provides.

By the time our children leave the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior Schools, they will have the skills, knowledge, and experience to have a level of independent, historical thinking to carry through to their future education and into their lives beyond the classroom.

For further information on the curriculum please read the Subject Overview which is available below.