History

What are we aiming for?​

At Forsbrook Church of England Primary School, our History curriculum is designed to ignite curiosity about the past and help children understand how history shapes the world around them. We aim to develop thoughtful, reflective learners who can explore events, people, and changes over time with interest and insight. History is not just about learning facts—it’s about thinking critically, asking meaningful questions, and recognising patterns and causes that have shaped our society today.​

Our History curriculum aims to develop children who:​

• Are inspired to learn about the world they live in and its past.​
• Know more and remember more about what has gone before.​
• Understand key historical concepts such as change and continuity, similarity and difference, and causation.​
• Develop the skills to investigate the recent and distant past using a range of sources.​
• Build a chronologically secure understanding of British, local, and world history.​
• Access knowledge from both primary and secondary sources, including artefacts, photographs, and written or oral accounts.​
• Use a wide and accurate historical vocabulary, including terms relating to specific periods.​
• Gain transferable skills such as research, critical thinking, and source evaluation.​

How do we achieve this?​

Our History curriculum is carefully structured to build knowledge and skills progressively across year groups. Children are supported in developing both substantive knowledge (historical facts and context) and disciplinary knowledge (how we study and interpret history). Each year group explores a range of overarching enquiry questions, allowing pupils to engage deeply with historical content and make meaningful connections over a sequence of lessons.​

Key features of our approach include:​

• A clear focus on historical concepts, including cause and consequence, continuity and change, and historical significance.​
• Opportunities for children to ask and answer enquiry questions, analyse trends, and construct their own arguments using evidence.​
• Thematic threads that build understanding of the bigger picture over time.​
• Regular retrieval practice to help secure knowledge in long-term memory.​
• Use of high-quality sources and materials to enrich historical understanding.​
• Enrichment opportunities such as themed days and visits to sites of historical interest, bringing history to life beyond the classroom.​

What difference is this making for our pupils?​

Our approach is helping children become curious, analytical thinkers who can reflect on the past and its relevance today. Pupils are developing a secure understanding of chronology and can explain how different events and people have influenced life in Britain and the wider world. They are becoming confident in using historical vocabulary, evaluating sources, and expressing their own interpretations based on evidence. The emphasis on enquiry, discussion, and critical thinking encourages children to become independent learners who can build and articulate informed views. As a result, pupils leave Forsbrook with a strong sense of historical perspective, well-prepared for further study and for participating thoughtfully in a diverse and ever-changing world.

Year 5

Researching Henry VIII and his Wives