Intent

History is fascinating, mysterious, awe-inspiring and occasionally a little bit gory! At Shap, we believe that history is not simply the story of the past; it is the study of change over time covering all aspects of human life and how this story can be told in a myriad of different ways, through different lenses and different perspectives. It is a story that continues to change as new ideas, evidence and artefacts are discovered. Our history curriculum will enable our children to understand their heritage and where they come from, locally and nationally and how their history fits in on a global stage.

Through a meaningful and carefully-planned history curriculum, our children will be able to understand their place in the world and develop a sense of who they are. They will create a framework of knowledge (a schema) that they can place new information onto as they move through their history learning journey at Shap. This will also allow them to make links across subjects and with current affairs, developing their cultural capital.

We also believe that history is essentially a problem-solving subject. Children will understand that history is created from evidence that remains; it may be fragmentary or contradictory so a historian’s job is to challenge and test the evidence to make secure assessments about the past. They will become analytical, rigorous and open-minded historians and engage with contemporary historical epistemic knowledge.

Our children will be able to communicate their historical ideas and understanding in a wide variety of ways. They will understand the benefits of oral history as well as written, photographic and artistic as a means of displaying their knowledge and understanding of a period, event or significant figure(s).  

Through our history curriculum, children will develop a secure knowledge and understanding of the key skills (core concepts) that are integral to a historian in being able to engage with history. They will also develop sophisticated vocabulary to aid their communication through our threshold concepts.

It is our intent to deliver a history curriculum which is accessible to all and that will enable every child to reach their full potential and ‘soar’, so that they know more, remember more and understand more. We want our children to leave Shap with a love and appreciation of history and its usefulness as a subject in their lives.