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HISTORY

Intent

History is held in high regard at Maltby Manor Academy, with the school’s rich local history celebrated as a source of inspiration and learning. Our History curriculum aims to nurture curiosity and develop children’s understanding of the past, both locally and globally. From EYFS onwards, pupils begin to explore their own experiences and the world around them, gradually extending their understanding to national and international historical events.

At Maltby Manor, children work as historians. They explore enquiry questions, analyse sources, evaluate evidence, and communicate their findings. This approach enables pupils to acquire substantive knowledge, develop historical skills, and understand the wider context of historical events.

The curriculum is carefully planned and structured to ensure that learning builds on prior knowledge, developing progressively across each Key Stage. Pupils are encouraged to think critically, weigh evidence, consider multiple perspectives, and develop judgement. They also develop an awareness of change, diversity, and the complexity of human experience across time.

By the end of their primary journey, pupils will be confident in working as historians, able to make connections between local, national, and global events, and to understand how history has shaped the world today.

 

Implementation

 

The History curriculum at Maltby Manor is delivered through a “Working as a Historian” approach, providing pupils with a clear framework to explore, create, and reflect. Pupils focus on enquiry questions each half term, investigating the past through a combination of primary and secondary sources, artefacts, and historical evidence.

Curriculum Delivery

  • Pupils receive high-quality lessons delivered by class teachers, structured to revisit prior knowledge before introducing new concepts.
  • Lessons follow a structured approach: Investigate → Analyse → Evaluate → Communicate, allowing pupils to develop historical skills alongside knowledge.

 Engage: Pupils explore the enquiry question and connect with prior knowledge.

 Investigate: Pupils examine sources, artefacts, and evidence to gather information.

Analyse and Reflect: Pupils evaluate the reliability and significance of the evidence, making connections to historical contexts.

 Communicate: Pupils present findings, discuss interpretations, and articulate their understanding using historical vocabulary.

 

  • EYFS pupils explore their own lives and the immediate environment, developing observation, comparison, and storytelling skills as part of the ‘Understanding the World’ Early Learning Goal.

Progression and Assessment

  • In KS1, pupils study events beyond living memory, significant individuals, and local history. In KS2, pupils develop chronological understanding, placing key events, people, and changes in context, from the Stone Age to 20th Century history.
  • A spiral curriculum ensures pupils revisit historical skills and concepts, deepening understanding and confidence over time.
  • Assessment is ongoing and formative, using teacher observation, discussion, written outcomes, and analysis of enquiry responses. Exemplification materials and enquiry frameworks support consistent teacher assessment.

Integration of Knowledge and Skills

  • Pupils are explicitly taught historical vocabulary, which is reinforced and applied across lessons.
  • Contextual, cultural, and historical knowledge is embedded in each unit, enabling pupils to make meaningful connections between their work and wider history.
  • Pupils develop the ability to reflect on their learning, articulate their ideas, and critique evidence using subject-specific language.

Broader Opportunities

  • Pupils participate in trips, local visits, and cultural experiences to develop historical understanding beyond the classroom.
  • History lessons foster curiosity, critical thinking, and resilience, encouraging pupils to explore, question, and interpret the past confidently.

Through this structured yet engaging approach, pupils at Maltby Manor develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work as historians, prepared to understand and interpret the past throughout their lives.

 

impact

The History curriculum at Maltby Manor Academy ensures that pupils develop the skills and knowledge to think, work, and communicate like historians. Children can ask historical questions, investigate using a range of sources, and recall key events, people, and changes with accuracy.

Pupils build the ability to make connections across different periods of history, comparing events and understanding their impact on the present and future. They use evidence to support their ideas, demonstrating critical thinking, perspective, and historical reasoning.

Throughout their learning, pupils develop historical vocabulary and the confidence to articulate their understanding clearly. The curriculum fosters curiosity, cultural awareness, and a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the past, preparing children to engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

 

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