Contact
Head of Department: Miss A. Bowers
a.bowers@kingsway.stockport.sch.uk
History Curriculum Intent
At The Kingsway School we believe the study of History is important because it empowers our pupils to understand both their place in the world and how they fit into the story of human development. The foundations of History are built on a fundamental understanding of what has shaped the identities of diverse peoples, groups and nations and created the world we live in today.
Our curriculum aims to help students understand the complexity of people’s lives in both the present and the past and promote inclusivity by studying the diversity and commonality of human experiences across time and place. Students also learn how the past is recorded and how accounts of the past can change in different contexts. At Kingsway students study a number of historical periods and events from Roman to post war Britain and a range of peoples and societies, both national and international to acquire their core knowledge (how specific and narrow does this have to be?) The majority of our Key Stage 3 curriculum is sequenced chronologically; this enables students to study the past from a variety of standpoints and to make connections and comparisons in their knowledge over time.
History is rich in transferable skills and students acquire knowledge alongside second order historical concepts that are revisited each academic year: causation, significance, source analysis and interpretation. These concepts are used as tools for students to apply the knowledge they have acquired. Pupils engage with these in a variety of ways, such as rich discussion and group work as well as through independent writing. Our curriculum is aspirational as pupils have the opportunity to assess and evaluate significant international events and people while developing their literacy and oracy. As part of the curriculum pupils are exposed to high quality challenging texts at least once a half term with the aim of nurturing pupil curiosity in key moments and events from the past whilst encouraging high levels of literacy within the classroom. In addition to this, pupils are given opportunities for rich discussion around topics such as representation, diversity, gender, race, society, politics and morality.
In each new academic year the History curriculum builds on prior knowledge and skill, allowing for continuing development of conceptual understanding as well as mastery of core content and disciplinary skills.
Our curriculum seeks to teach pupils to be compassionate and keep each other safe by studying groups throughout history who have faced marginalisation and persecution for their gender, religion, race and sexuality and promoting the importance of individuals, events and movements who have fought against this.
Through well- planned resources, engaging classroom teaching and exposure to challenging texts and source material, our curriculum seeks to foster a love of History and a broad knowledge of events and cultures that pupils will take with them beyond their academic studies, promoting well informed, compassionate individuals who will contribute positively to society.
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