History and Geography

History and Geography Curriculum Map 

Geography Skills and Knowledge Document

History Skills and Knowledge Document

Intent

At Elmlea, History and Geography is taught via a topic-based approach. Every topic brings together learning across the curriculum but commonly has History or Geography as a lead subject – particularly in Key Stage 2.

In EYFS and Key Stage 1, we strive to build on our children’s natural curiosity for the world around them, using our school grounds as a starting point for much of our learning. Our focus is on children developing their knowledge and understanding of their place in the world with a particular focus on our locality and their own family history. As well as utilising our school grounds, children visit places of interest around our local area, focusing on community amenities and landmarks. This supports the children’s understanding of map work and locational knowledge/vocabulary, as well as the history of our local area.

In the Junior School, teachers continue to deliver a rich curriculum to pupils, with the opportunity to build on the knowledge and skills acquired in Key Stage 1. As pupils progress through the school, they are challenged with more sophisticated content, encouraged to engage in detailed discussions and given tasks to ensure they utilise and apply what they have learnt.

Each year group follows their own set of topic cycles on an annual basis.

Our goal is that when children leave Elmlea, they will have developed a solid foundation of historical and geographical knowledge and skills which will prepare them for future study and equip them to understand the ever-developing world in which they live.

Our Learning Journey

Depending on the current topic, either History or Geography will be taught by class teachers most weeks in KS1 and once a week in KS2. New topics are launched with visual, active sessions to engage curiosity and enthusiasm. Key vocabulary and the lesson enquiry question is introduced at the start of each lesson and reinforced during the topic through quizzes and displays. Lesson resources and activities are differentiated so that all pupils can access the History and Geography curriculums. This ranges from discussion-based outcomes to demonstrating knowledge of facts learnt and explaining their own thoughts and feelings, giving reasons for their answers using the correct vocabulary.

History

When children start at Elmlea, we encourage them to develop an understanding of their own family history and equip them with the vocabulary to do so. This builds into learning about the past through important historical figures and events before encouraging children to ask questions about and consider how these people and events have influenced our lives now.

Once children move to the Junior School, we pay particular attention to developing their chronological awareness of the time periods they have studied. We use visual timelines regularly to help children ‘place’ time periods or events and make historical links between all of their learning across the curriculum, including in Key Stage 1. We also aim to develop children’s awareness of how we use primary and secondary sources to learn about the past and encourage them to challenge the reliability of these sources. Finally, our History curriculum has been designed to provide children with the opportunity to learn about a range of historical periods: both ancient history, recent history, local history, British/European history as well as studying civilisations in different parts of the world. Our curriculum also allows us to re-visit key concepts and build on prior learning.

Across our schools, we strive to ensure that our children learn about a diverse range of people from the past.

Geography

Our Geography curriculum strives to develop children’s awareness and understanding of the world in which they live. This includes a comprehensive knowledge of places and locations including their local area (in KS1), continents, European countries and other significant countries studied. Across the trust, we encourage children to compare where they live with a variety of other places studied with an emphasis on how people may live differently elsewhere and the reasons for this. We want children at Elmlea to have a secure understanding of human and physical geography, the relationship between the two and a strong understanding that the way we choose to live impacts the natural world. Our goal is that children will build on their prior learning to enhance their geographical knowledge and skills – particularly their fieldwork – year on year.

Enrichment and support

We aim to enrich children’s learning through additional trips, visitors or experiences which enable us to access resources that we don’t already have in school. For example, in Reception the children enjoy a walk around the local area to learn about their community. In Year 1, children visit the S.S. Great Britain to support their work on Brunel. In Year 2, children learn more about the history of flight with a visit to the Aerospace Museum, as part of their ‘All Aboard!’ topic. They also visit Caldicot Castle during their Castles topic.

When children reach the Junior School, they continue to experience a range of trips which enhance their learning. Year 3 pupils enjoy a Tomb Raider Escape Room experience as part of their Ancient Egypt topic, as well as a trip to Caerleon as part of their study of the Romans. In Year 4, pupils visit Wessex Water Works during their Geography themed topic ‘Splash!’. In addition, pupils walk around Westbury as part of their ‘Think Global, Act Local’ topic. As part of their topic ‘Changing Britain’, Year 5 visit the Big Pit. In Year 6, the WWII topic is brought to life with an evacuee trip to the Swindon STEAM Museum and the Bristol topic is enhanced with an historical walking tour of the city centre alongside geographical fieldwork in Millennium Square. In addition, ahead of each new topic, we send a letter to parents outlining our plans, recommending additional learning they might like to do as a family as well as seeking any experts within our school community who might be willing to contribute enrichment opportunities.

History and Geography Curriculum Leaders: Guy Dickinson and Jade Emery-Symmons