Learning history at St James’, pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We aim to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Children are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, develop perspective and interrogate ideas by making judgements.

These skills help 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.

KS1 Areas Covered

Pupils will be taught about:

• Changes within living memory. Where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life
• Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]
• The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. Some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods [for example, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, William Caxton and Tim Berners-Lee, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and LS Lowry, Rosa Parks and Emily Davison, Mary Seacole and/or Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell]
• Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

KS2 Areas Covered

Pupils will be taught about:

• 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 – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
• Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
• a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.

Here are some fabulous history online learning opportunities, click on and explore the past!

Enter ancient worlds, meet famous people and discover fascinating facts by exploring a wide selection of historical games and activities.Factual episodes available – but some searching required:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/

Lessons full of videos, quizzes and practice activities to help you keep on track when learning at home. Pick your year and subject to get started:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/this-terms-topics

Fascinating facts, quizzes, competitions:
www.natgeokids.com

Free online history network.

The website is packed with articles, worksheets and even a few quizzes You will find cool games, videos, worksheets on many historical events:
www.historyforkids.net

One hundred objects from museums across the UK with resources, information and teaching ideas to inspire your interest in history:
www.teachinghistory100.org

Fascinating facts and quizzes, pictures and videos, about historical events from Stone Age to Ancient Rome, the Vikings to the Tudors to the Wars:
https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/

Hands on History – Project ideas
Learn history with these crafts and games that will provide an opportunity to interact with history in a more hands-on way. You can create your own versions of cultural art and artifacts and learn more about the peoples and customs that underlie a variety of cultural practices. You need to create an account to access the free resources:
https://www.education.com/activity/history/