This curriculum inspires curiosity about the past and develops pupils’ understanding of history as a discipline. We provide a comprehensive narrative of British history situated within wider world developments. Our curriculum helps pupils understand historical concepts, methods of enquiry, and how different aspects of the past have been interpreted. We equip students to ask historical questions and make connections across different time periods.
History
What are the aims and purpose of our curriculum?
What overarching curriculum principles inform the design of our curriculum?
Knowledge and vocabulary rich
This principle recognises the important role that knowledge, and vocabulary as a particularly important type of knowledge, plays in learning. In this curriculum, substantive and disciplinary knowledge are taught hand in hand.
Pupils are introduced to concepts such as ‘king’, ‘empire’, ‘archaeologist’ and ‘artefact’ early in key stage 1, and then develop their understanding of these complex concepts in multiple contexts, throughout the rest of the curriculum.
We map vocabulary across the curriculum, both in terms of the introduction of new vocabulary and the necessary repetition of vocabulary. The most powerful new vocabulary, called keywords, are signalled in bold in our lesson materials to indicate their importance.
Sequenced and coherent
A careful and purposeful sequencing of our curriculum content underpins the design of our curriculum, ensuring that pupils are able to build on and make links with existing knowledge. At its simplest, this means, for example, that pupils might first learn about the Mughal Empire in India before being introduced to the growing influence of the East India Company.
Attention is paid to vertical coherence via threads, which map the developments of concepts over time, for example, in our ‘Empire, persecution and resistance’ thread pupils are first introduced to the concept of ‘empire’ in key stage 1 through various traditional stories that reference one country ruling over another.
In key stage 2, this concept is broadened through exposure to other examples of empires, such as the Roman Empire.
Curriculum threads (Big Ideas)
- Empire, persecution and resistance
- Invasion, migration and settlement
- Power, government and religion
- Trade, ideas and communication
- Warfare and conflict
Evidence-informed
Our evidence-informed approach enables the rigorous application of research outcomes, the science of learning and impactful best practice both in education in general and at a subject-specific level. For example, the design of our resources reflects findings from Sweller’s cognitive load theory and Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning whilst our lesson design draws on Rosenshine’s principles of instruction.
We also draw on findings from research organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). At the subject level, ‘enquiry questions’ are used as a catalyst for pupils to develop historical knowledge over time. This approach is grounded in the expertise of the history subject community including research by teachers such as Gorman, Riley, Burnham and Brown.
The curriculum is structured in such a way as to reinforce the interplay between substantive and disciplinary knowledge, supported by the work of Wineburg and Fournier and structures substantive knowledge in a way that anticipates how it will be built on later, as discussed by Counsell. Furthermore, the diversity of our curriculum is guided by the work of Priggs and the Historical Association whereby a large number of women are met in the curriculum; the stories of minority groups show their own agency; rather than focusing on their oppression, and the pasts of pupils across the country are represented.
How does our curriculum reflect the aims & purpose of the national curriculum?
Our curriculum has been designed to enact the aims and purpose of the national curriculum. We use clear, chronological narratives to develop pupils’ understanding of Britain’s history and its interaction with the wider world. We inspire curiosity and critical thinking about the past by supporting pupils to ask questions, analyse sources, and form judgements in our practice tasks. We have included early civilizations, empires, and non-European societies such as the Shang Dynasty, the Maya, Mali, Haiti, and India so that pupils ‘understand significant aspects of world history’.
The curriculum develops pupils' knowledge ‘of historical concepts like continuity and change, using them to create structured historical accounts’. Our enquiries use a wide range of source material and interpretations to help pupils ‘learn and apply the methods of historical enquiry, understand how evidence is used, and form differing interpretations of the past’.
The careful selection and sequencing of content help pupils to understand ‘the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history’.
How does the curriculum address and enact recommendations from subject specific reports (e.g. EEF guidance reports & Ofsted Research Review)?
Enacting the recommendations from the Ofsted subject report for history, this curriculum balances depth and breadth, covering diverse periods and cultures. It integrates substantive and disciplinary knowledge, emphasising key concepts through varied contexts. Rich historical context supports learning, addresses misconceptions and represents academic history's complexity. The curriculum includes diverse interpretations.
Learning about different groups' contributions to history prepares pupils for modern life. Building on existing knowledge enables pupils to construct their own historical arguments, whilst clear exposition and narrative support learning.
Our curriculum is adaptable to the needs of different pupils and emphasises British history within global contexts. For example, in key stage 2 units about life in Anglo-Saxon and Viking England emphasise the trade connections that existed between Britain and the rest of the world. This approach develops historical thinking skills, contextual understanding, and engagement with complex narratives.
Please find useful links below
Should you have any questions about the curriculum, please contact Mr Joseph via info@thelight-school.org
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