Headteacher
Chris Coyle-Chislett
Email the Office
secretary@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk
Telephone Number
01736 753472
Follow us on Twitter
@PenpolSchool
Our Address
2 St George’s Road, Hayle,
Cornwall, TR27 4AH
History at Penpol School is led by Lizzie Nidds
‘A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time’ – N.C 2014
Penpol pupils are curious, creative and courageous learners. Through the teaching of History, pupils develop their curiosity about the world they live in and understand their place in History. They understand the importance of diversity and make judgements about why and how events in both their lives and in History took place. Teaching of History creates respectful, tolerant and inquisitive pupils ready to face challenges in an ever-changing world.
At Penpol School, we want History to inspire pupils’ curiosity about their place in the world, the past in Britain and the wider world. We want History to help pupils to understand the diversity of human experience which is particularly important in a Cornish school. Pupils are provided with opportunities to empathise with others, through the teaching of History, encouraged to argue a point and reach their own conclusions using the available evidence. The History curriculum allows pupils to develop skills relevant to other areas of the curriculum and their own lives and the History focus of the Autumn term and throughout the rest of the academic year in discrete block teaching enables these cross curricular links to be made. The curriculum is designed to ensure pupils receive an understanding of British, local and world history in a vocabulary rich way. Pupils’ chronological knowledge is developed as they move through school and timelines in classrooms ensure pupils are able to place periods studied in their place in time.
History is taught from Years 1 to 6 as a cross curricular subject, with the Autumn term in particular having a History focus, but also covered in discrete blocks throughout the year. Pupils in EYFS are introduced to History through sharing stories, talking about memories and adult led inputs as part of the ‘Understanding the World’ curriculum (as revised in 2020/21) Key knowledge, vocabulary and skills are mapped across the school to ensure pupils’ learning builds as they progress from EYFS to Year 6.
Planning is informed by, and aligned with, the National Curriculum and a topic-based approach explores key questions asked by pupils at the beginning of the topic. Pupils are encouraged to take ownership of their learning, with links to home learning provided for each topic. Experience days/visitors bring the teaching of History alive (e.g. Guy Fawkes, a Roman centurion and a Greek Museum Day).
By the end of year 6, pupils will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They will be able to make comparisons and connections between different time periods and their own lives. They understand the importance of using sources to argue their case and have a greater understanding of diversity. Alongside an understanding of world history, pupils will also have an understanding of how our local heritage is developed. The curriculum will ensure continuity and progression across the key stages with a focus on skills and deepening knowledge and understanding. It will encourage enquiry, inference alongside the ability to use high-level vocabulary, questioning skills and communication.
To create a sense of period and time, the sequence of when things happened, what changed and what continued and what we might see as progress.
This is the relationship between events and processes. What caused an event and what effect that event had.
How and why does the way that history is produced differ? Do we all understand the past in exactly the same way? How do we show what the past was like?
How words, thoughts and ideas are exchanged throughout history.
in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 from the Department for Education
5th December 2022
