At Marshgate Primary School, history tells the stories of significant events and people. It teaches our children about the challenges and complexities of people’s lives and how they have changed through time. We want our children to understand how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world, to understand the nature of ancient civilisations, and how the world and Britain have been shaped by invaders, settlers and explorers, and the legacy that has been left. Crucially, we want our children to compare and understand their own place in history. 

As children move on to Key Stage 3, we want them to have a genuine sense of interest in and excitement about history, but also to be equipped with strong historical enquiry skills and to have gained a deeper understanding of the world they live in and the part that they can play in it; to think as historians.

At Marshgate, our history planning is based on the national curriculum, and is hinged on the teaching of key historical concepts and our common themes.

Key Historical Concepts:

Time, change and chronology - to create a sense of period and time and to know the sequence of when things happened.

Reasons and results - How can we explain why things happened in history, how did people make a difference to what happened and what followed as a result?

Interpretations - Do we understand the past in the same way?

Historical evidence - How can we find out about the past? What are the challenges with using historical sources?

Significance - How do we choose what is important in history?

Common themes of Social Change (including the impact on people’s lives in Britain), The Nature of Ancient Civilisations, Invaders and Settlers, Exploration, and Legacy are threaded through the curriculum.

The teaching of history provides many opportunities to deepen and extend children’s learning through memorable experiences. We are fortunate to be located, in Richmond, within close proximity to some world-renowned museums, galleries and historical locations and we ensure these are used to enrich the learning experience. 

Learning is sequenced and aimed at developing historical enquiry skills. Lessons are planned and delivered to ensure that learning is memorable and that key knowledge, vocabulary and skills are revisited, remembered and applied to new learning. The use of Assessment for Learning (AfL) strategies and retrieval practice ensures that children know more and retain more in their long term memory.