Our History Curriculum

At St Matthew’s we want all of our pupils to have an understanding of the past and how History will shape their future. The growing understanding of History enables our children to become educated citizens.

In Key Stage 1 children will develop an awareness of the past. They will learn about significant individuals who have contributed to the world. Children will also learn about significant historical events. We will be looking back at changes within living memory such as home life, festivals and celebrations as well as events beyond living memory such as The Great Fire of London. These lessons are engineered to support the fulfilment of the School’s vision that our pupils embrace the possibilities: to be aspirational and ambitious, empowered by the knowledge that life is full of opportunities.  

In Key Stage 2 children will continue to appreciate History in a chronological context and to build on their appreciation of how the topic effects the potentiality of the own futures. Within this context they will work on securing an understanding of British, Local and World History. In lower Key Stage 2 children will be focusing on areas such as Ancient Egypt and Roman Britain. In Upper Key Stage 2 will be looking at the arrival of the Anglo Saxons, Tudors and Victorians. This is a key area in communicating an understanding of how Faith developed early in our country. In Year Six students focus on the more contemporary era of WW2 and the influential changes in Post War Britain.

Throughout the History Curriculum children will look at connections and making links over time while developing a good use of historical terms. There is a focus on different sources and how our knowledge of the past is shaped from them thus helping pupils to understand our place in the world. Empowered by this knowledge of the people and events of our collective past our pupils will be prepared with the skills to appreciate the lessons History offers and to use these as positive influences for their own futures.

Thus through high-quality History lessons we aim to develop a depth of knowledge, skills and understanding; helping the children not only to gain a sense of their own identity but also the confidence to ask Big Questions about our World.