DMS Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Overview 

Intent

 We believe that high-quality history lessons inspire children to want to know more about the past and to think and act like historians. The History curriculum equips students with a strong command of knowledge on British History and embeds an appreciation for our rich and varied heritage. Chronologically, students gain fluency on how the people of Britain have shaped this nation and the impact of Britain’s role in the wider world. Throughout the curriculum, there are opportunities for students to explore important topics linked to their wider world such as British values. The ability to be reflective about their beliefs, religious or otherwise is a theme visited throughout the curriculum and students are challenged to investigate debate and consider a range of different viewpoints on the different topics studied. Diversity is celebrated throughout the curriculum with a focus on key individuals who have changed the world for the better and those who have played a significant role in our history. A focus on significant individuals or places in Britain encourages students to reflect on their own cultural assumptions and values.

Implementation

We develop children with the following essential characteristics to help them become historians:

• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including significant events in Britain’s past;

• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas confidently to a range of audiences;
• The ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources;
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past by formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry;
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their learning; a desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics;
• A developing sense of curiosity about the past and how and why people interpret the past in different ways.

Impact

Regular retrieval practice through a variety of methods including starter activities and multiple choice questions.

Termly assessed written work with clear feedback to develop students’ understanding of the historical events covered.

Throughout the academic year children are encouraged children to question what they see and hear and to respect British values and rule of law.

By focussing on the six key skills of Evidence, Significance, Diversity, Chronology, Causation and Interpretation we are preparing the children for a smooth transition into the next stage of their educational journey where these key skills underpin the topics covered at GCSE and A level.

Research link/s