History

The subject lead for History is Mrs Gorczyca

What is History?

History is the written record of the development of human societies. It is concerned with evidence about people who actually lived. It is concerned with explanations and judgements with cause and effect and with continuity and change. History is about reconstructing the past and building up a picture of the past based upon evidence and analysis of the accounts of contemporaries and historians.

History Intent

History is held in high regard at St George’s, with the history curriculum making full use of resources within the immediate and wider local area enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality. One of the key curriculum drivers for History at St George’s is vocabulary. Our intent is to widen pupils’ vocabulary through the promotion of a language rich History curriculum. This is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding in history. Units of work are informed by the national curriculum but are driven by the children’s interests, as well as the context of the local area. This gives our students the vital background knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community. The history curriculum is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning providing children with the breadth of learning they need to make accurate judgements of the world around them. The overall intent of our History curriculum is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more encouraging them to work as historians where they critically analyse the information given to them. As a result of this they will:

Increase and develop their historical skills, concepts, knowledge and attitudes
Increase their understand of the present in the context of the past
Develop and use their skills in enquiry, analysis, evaluation, and argument
Develop their interest in the past, arousing their curiosity and motivation to learn
Develop sense of identity through learning about the past
Widen their vocabulary and be able to use new vocabulary confidently

History Implementation

History is taught in blocks throughout the year following a learning challenge approach. Each unit is linked clearly to skills and vocabulary to ensure progression across units throughout each year and across the school. Each unit begins with a question and every lesson a learning challenge feeds into the bigger question. By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to present day. They are able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives through the themes of achievements, housing, society, food, entertainment and beliefs. Alongside this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece and Ancient Benin where again the same core themes are explored.

Where possible cross curricular outcomes are planned for with strong links between the History curriculum and English lessons enabling further contextual learning. The local area is also fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes along with educational visits further afield. Planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. Staff are supported through teaching packs that guide their planning and lesson structure. These packs identify what learning has taken place in previous year groups as well as what will come in the year group above to help provide context for teachers. Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. The promotion and use of an accurate and rich historical vocabulary throughout school is planned in history.

History at St George's 2024-2025

Robin (Nur/Rec)	Who helps us? How are celebrations different?	How does it work? Why do they grow so tall?	Will you read me a story? Are all heroes super?
Puffin (Y1/2)	Who were the Mossley soldiers?	Why was London burning?	Why were Rosa Parks and Emmeline Pankhurst important?
Sparrow (Y3/4)	Why were the Romans so powerful and what did we learn from them?	Why do we have canals in Saddleworth?
Osprey (Y5)	Were the Anglo Saxons really smashing?	Were the Vikings always victorious and vicious?	What was the legacy of Ancient Benin?
Kestrel (Y6)	Were the Vikings always victorious and vicious?	What was the legacy of Ancient Benin?

During Key Stage 1

Pupils will develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They will know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different peoples. They will use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They will ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They will understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

During the key stage, pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through the following areas of study:

Changes within living memory.
Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
Significant history events, people and places in their own locality.

During Key Stage 2

Pupils will continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They will note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They will regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They will construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They will understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources

During the key stage, pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through:

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
Ancient Greece
A non-European society that provides contracts with British history.

Click here to see the knowledge and progression of skills of the History curriculum

Click here to see the History overview for 2024-2025

Click here for the History school policy

Click here to read the History Programmes of Study: Key Stage 1 and 2 National Curriculum in England

St George's 150th Birthday

St George’s celebrated its 150^th Birthday on 11^th August 2023. To celebrate the special day, we held a tea party in the school hall. This was attended by past and present members of the school community and was so well attended three sittings were needed to accommodate the guests. Visitors enjoyed sandwiches, tea and cake made by the school staff, explored the school building and were given the opportunity to look through the school's logbooks and admission records. We were joined by the Mayor of Tameside and Bishop Mark.

Following the birthday, school embarked on a year long project where St George's was celebrated in style. Pupils took part in various competitions, visited Chester Zoo, created an art mural, planted a time capsule and studied the history of the school. A large part of this project was funded by a grant awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and school worked closely with Mossley Civic Society and Mossley Heritage Centre.

St George's would like to say a massive thank you to every person who made the celebrations a success whether they were a part of the planning process, volunteered at events or supported school in another way. Without our wonderful staff and team of volunteers we would not have been able to celebrate the way that we did.