At Bishop’s Waltham Junior School the health, safety and well-being of every child is our top priority.

History

National Curriculum Aims for History

Pupils should be taught about:

• changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
• the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
• Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
• the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
• a local history study
• a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
• the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
• Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
• a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.

History at Bishop's Waltham Junior School

Intent

• Allow children to be inspired to know more about the past.
• Introduce children to World and British History and the different influences and legacies that have occurred.
• Ensure the progressive development of historical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to study life of ordinary people in the past.
• Develop children’s abilities to be equipped to question the past, think critically and sift information to form their own conclusions and perspectives.

Implementation

• Planning is based on the Hampshire History model. This means the lower school learn history in chronological order from Stone Age to 1066. In upper school, building upon this previous learning, and investigate similar time periods but in different parts of the world and make comparisons to Britain and/or their influence on it. Additionally, upper school also investigate a time period/event beyond 1066. This is currently the Titanic: A triumph or tragedy?
• Each unit starts with history hook to entice and stimulate children’s interest and curiosity about the upcoming unit.
• Each unit involves activities that encourage discussion, evaluation of historical resources and allow children to voice their opinions
• The subject leader has planned and resourced the curriculum units. This has included re-planning and future re-planning when new theories change how we perceive the past or when improvements are needed to further enhance the learning and enjoyment of each unit.
• History is taught in blocks of afternoon sessions. Sometimes, year groups choose to block their history over the course of one/two days.
• Each year, History mornings with a History author/workshop leader occur for three of the year groups. These allow the children to experience hands on activities from the historical periods they are learning about.
• When appropriate and relevant, the History curriculum is linked to other curriculum areas. For instance, with Geography using map and atlas work to see the legacy of place names and investigating why many of the ancient civilisations thrived (because of their location, near the equator, therefore, all year conditions to grow crops).
• Children are given the opportunity to represent their knowledge and learning in a variety of ways, linked to their own strengths. These include drama/role-play, drawings and annotations, time lines, or extended writing opportunities. This allows all children to be included in learning and demonstrate their understanding, often through creative and a variety of ways.
• The curriculum units allow children the flexibility to extend their learning through open-ended questioning and/or activities that allow them to express their opinions and thoughts and feelings on the topic.
• The planned curriculum ensures that all the necessary historical skills are covered and revisited throughout a pupil’s time in the school.

Impact

As a result of our whole school history curriculum, pupils of Bishop’s Waltham Junior School will:

• Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses

Success will be monitored through:

• Summative assessment at the end of each unit, which identifies children working below or above expected levels in the key skills. These could be based on the above concepts.
• Pupils activities show progress in knowledge, vocabulary and skills throughout the school
• Lessons show that pupils can ask relevant questions and reflect upon their findings
• Previous whole class surveys/discussions have demonstrated that pupils are enthusiastic about their learning
• By the end of Key Stage 2, children are equipped with key historical skills and concepts

History Curriculum Outline

Year 3

Year 3 will learn about life in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. They will then move on to study the impact of the Roman Empire on Britain.   

Year 4

Year 4 will study Saxon and Scots settlements and the history of Saxon and Viking conflict. During their Saxon studies, Year 4 children will also undertake a local history study to learn about the life of Alfred the Great and his connections with the Winchester area.

As the children move into the upper school, their history studies look at a broader range of civilisations, identifying connections and  contrasts, similarities and differences.

Year 5

Year 5 will look at an overview of all ancient civilisations, before undertaking an in depth study of Ancient Egypt. They will also carry out a thematic study of Britain post 1066, learning about a significant event in British History. As part of their World War II studies, they will investigate the impact of World War II on British Society. 

Year 6

Year 6 will learn about the legacy of Ancient Greece. They will also study a non-European society – the Mayan civilisation c. AD 900 - that provides a contrast with British history.   

As part of our history topics, year groups may organise events and visits to help make the past come to life. Parents will be informed about the details of these events as appropriate and photos and information about these will be found on the news page of each year group section.

Click on the links below to read more information about History (Within the new national curriculum).

The National Curriculum for History

National Curriculum - History

Read our latest history stories on the school blog!

At Bishop’s Waltham Junior School the health, safety and well-being of every child is our top priority.

History

National Curriculum Aims for History

Pupils should be taught about:

• changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
• the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
• Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
• the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
• a local history study
• a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
• the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
• Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
• a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.

History at Bishop's Waltham Junior School

Intent

• Allow children to be inspired to know more about the past.
• Introduce children to World and British History and the different influences and legacies that have occurred.
• Ensure the progressive development of historical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to study life of ordinary people in the past.
• Develop children’s abilities to be equipped to question the past, think critically and sift information to form their own conclusions and perspectives.

Implementation

• Planning is based on the Hampshire History model. This means the lower school learn history in chronological order from Stone Age to 1066. In upper school, building upon this previous learning, and investigate similar time periods but in different parts of the world and make comparisons to Britain and/or their influence on it. Additionally, upper school also investigate a time period/event beyond 1066. This is currently the Titanic: A triumph or tragedy?
• Each unit starts with history hook to entice and stimulate children’s interest and curiosity about the upcoming unit.
• Each unit involves activities that encourage discussion, evaluation of historical resources and allow children to voice their opinions
• The subject leader has planned and resourced the curriculum units. This has included re-planning and future re-planning when new theories change how we perceive the past or when improvements are needed to further enhance the learning and enjoyment of each unit.
• History is taught in blocks of afternoon sessions. Sometimes, year groups choose to block their history over the course of one/two days.
• Each year, History mornings with a History author/workshop leader occur for three of the year groups. These allow the children to experience hands on activities from the historical periods they are learning about.
• When appropriate and relevant, the History curriculum is linked to other curriculum areas. For instance, with Geography using map and atlas work to see the legacy of place names and investigating why many of the ancient civilisations thrived (because of their location, near the equator, therefore, all year conditions to grow crops).
• Children are given the opportunity to represent their knowledge and learning in a variety of ways, linked to their own strengths. These include drama/role-play, drawings and annotations, time lines, or extended writing opportunities. This allows all children to be included in learning and demonstrate their understanding, often through creative and a variety of ways.
• The curriculum units allow children the flexibility to extend their learning through open-ended questioning and/or activities that allow them to express their opinions and thoughts and feelings on the topic.
• The planned curriculum ensures that all the necessary historical skills are covered and revisited throughout a pupil’s time in the school.

Impact

As a result of our whole school history curriculum, pupils of Bishop’s Waltham Junior School will:

• Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses

Success will be monitored through:

• Summative assessment at the end of each unit, which identifies children working below or above expected levels in the key skills. These could be based on the above concepts.
• Pupils activities show progress in knowledge, vocabulary and skills throughout the school
• Lessons show that pupils can ask relevant questions and reflect upon their findings
• Previous whole class surveys/discussions have demonstrated that pupils are enthusiastic about their learning
• By the end of Key Stage 2, children are equipped with key historical skills and concepts

History Curriculum Outline

Year 3

Year 3 will learn about life in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. They will then move on to study the impact of the Roman Empire on Britain.   

Year 4

Year 4 will study Saxon and Scots settlements and the history of Saxon and Viking conflict. During their Saxon studies, Year 4 children will also undertake a local history study to learn about the life of Alfred the Great and his connections with the Winchester area.

As the children move into the upper school, their history studies look at a broader range of civilisations, identifying connections and  contrasts, similarities and differences.

Year 5

Year 5 will look at an overview of all ancient civilisations, before undertaking an in depth study of Ancient Egypt. They will also carry out a thematic study of Britain post 1066, learning about a significant event in British History. As part of their World War II studies, they will investigate the impact of World War II on British Society. 

Year 6

Year 6 will learn about the legacy of Ancient Greece. They will also study a non-European society – the Mayan civilisation c. AD 900 - that provides a contrast with British history.   

As part of our history topics, year groups may organise events and visits to help make the past come to life. Parents will be informed about the details of these events as appropriate and photos and information about these will be found on the news page of each year group section.

Click on the links below to read more information about History (Within the new national curriculum).

The National Curriculum for History

National Curriculum - History

Read our latest history stories on the school blog!