History and Geography
At Buckingham Park Church of England Primary School it is important that every member of the school community feels valued and respected, and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community, built on a clear Christian foundation and rooted in Christian values. We aim to provide the highest quality all round education, for each and every child, in partnership with parents, within the context of a Christian community. In short, ‘Excellence, through God who strengthens us’.
All school policies are therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure.
The school has a set of values that are based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These are a means of promoting good relationships, so that people can work together with the common purpose of helping everyone to learn. These values are displayed below and permeate everything we do:
All school policies are therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure.
The school has a set of values that are based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These are a means of promoting good relationships, so that people can work together with the common purpose of helping everyone to learn. These values are displayed below and permeate everything we do:
We are kind, helpful and polite
We do our best
We are honest
We share
We are peacemakers
We forgive others
We take care of everything, and everyone
We do our best
We are honest
We share
We are peacemakers
We forgive others
We take care of everything, and everyone
Intent
Our Geography curriculum is designed to develop children’s curiosity and fascination about the world. Children investigate a range of places and their locations in KS1 – both in Britain and abroad – to help develop their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s physical and human features. We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate of our local area so that they can develop of real sense of who they are, where they live and what makes our local area unique and special. We also develop the children’s ability to apply geographical skills and fieldwork to enable them to confidently interpret and communicate their findings and geographical understanding.
We want pupils to be geographers who have:
• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
• An excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Fluency in complex, geographical enquiry
• Highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.
Our history curriculum is designed to inspire children to want to know more about the past and to think and act as historians. By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world, and to be able to communicate historically. We aim to develop historical knowledge and skills which are transferable to whatever period of history is being studied and will equip children for future learning.
We want pupils to be historians who have:
• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events, and contexts from a range of historical periods and of historical concepts and processes.
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas very confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
• The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence derived from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgments.
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.
For the children in Early Years Foundation Stage, we intend for them to know the difference between past and present events in their own lives and some reasons why people’s lives were different in the past. They should know that other children have different likes and dislikes and that they may be good at different things. They will understand that different people have different beliefs, attitudes, customs and traditions and why it is important to treat them with respect. They will talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one to another. They should make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
We want pupils to be geographers who have:
• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
• An excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Fluency in complex, geographical enquiry
• Highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.
Our history curriculum is designed to inspire children to want to know more about the past and to think and act as historians. By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world, and to be able to communicate historically. We aim to develop historical knowledge and skills which are transferable to whatever period of history is being studied and will equip children for future learning.
We want pupils to be historians who have:
• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events, and contexts from a range of historical periods and of historical concepts and processes.
• The ability to think critically about history and communicate ideas very confidently in styles appropriate to a range of audiences.
• The ability to consistently support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, appropriate and accurate historical evidence derived from a range of sources.
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• A passion for history and an enthusiastic engagement in learning, which develops their sense of curiosity about the past and their understanding of how and why people interpret the past in different ways.
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make robust and critical use of it to support their explanations and judgments.
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of history topics.
For the children in Early Years Foundation Stage, we intend for them to know the difference between past and present events in their own lives and some reasons why people’s lives were different in the past. They should know that other children have different likes and dislikes and that they may be good at different things. They will understand that different people have different beliefs, attitudes, customs and traditions and why it is important to treat them with respect. They will talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one to another. They should make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
Implementation
At Buckingham Park C of E Primary School we deliver History and Geography as an integral part of our topic-based learning, where each national curriculum objective is matched one or more of our Big Questions. Some areas of the curriculum are visited more than once, but skills and knowledge are built upon in order to consolidate and extend pupil’s understanding.
When constructing the curriculum, consideration was given to ensure an ambitious curriculum with the knowledge and cultural capital pupils need to succeed in life. Within the boundaries of the National Curriculum, historical events and people and geographical locations have been chosen to represent the diverse word in which we live. The curriculum is enriched by celebrating local and national events throughout the year which enhance historical and geographical learning.
Geography lessons include opportunities to:
• Investigate places
• Investigate patterns
• Communicate geographically
History lessons include opportunities to:
• Investigate and interpret the past
• Build an overview of world history
Both the geography and history curriculum has been mapped out to ensure a progression of knowledge and skills throughout a child’s time at Buckingham Park. This ensures appropriate coverage and makes it clear to teachers exactly what to teach pupils and when (in terms of year groups).
When constructing the curriculum, consideration was given to ensure an ambitious curriculum with the knowledge and cultural capital pupils need to succeed in life. Within the boundaries of the National Curriculum, historical events and people and geographical locations have been chosen to represent the diverse word in which we live. The curriculum is enriched by celebrating local and national events throughout the year which enhance historical and geographical learning.
Geography lessons include opportunities to:
• Investigate places
• Investigate patterns
• Communicate geographically
History lessons include opportunities to:
• Investigate and interpret the past
• Build an overview of world history
Both the geography and history curriculum has been mapped out to ensure a progression of knowledge and skills throughout a child’s time at Buckingham Park. This ensures appropriate coverage and makes it clear to teachers exactly what to teach pupils and when (in terms of year groups).
History and Geography in EYFS
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we teach History and Geography as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. History and geography relate to the learning objectives within Development Matters - knowledge and understanding of the world. The learning takes place through continuous provision throughout the setting, both indoors and outdoors.
Geography in EYFS
In Early Years, we capitalise on children’s fascination and interest in their surroundings through our work in the specific area of Understanding the World in which they live. This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology, and the environment.
The most relevant statements for Geography are taken from the following areas of learning:
• Understanding the World
• Communication & Language
• Personal, Social & Emotional Development
An outline of topics and skills is shown here:
Geography in EYFS
In Early Years, we capitalise on children’s fascination and interest in their surroundings through our work in the specific area of Understanding the World in which they live. This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology, and the environment.
- We encourage an appreciation of the natural world and recognising its similarities and differences
- We foster a sense of awe and wonder about the world in which they live
- We develop an appreciation of other people, their communities and their traditions
- We enhance children’s sense of responsibility for the care of their own environment and the impact it has on the whole world.
The most relevant statements for Geography are taken from the following areas of learning:
• Understanding the World
• Communication & Language
• Personal, Social & Emotional Development
An outline of topics and skills is shown here:
My Community |
My Country |
The World |
People |
Environment |
-I know that I live in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - I can talk about travelling and how to get around (bus to town, car, train station) -I can explain/ discuss familiar places (local community, St James’ Bierton, town centre) |
-I know I live in the United Kingdom -I can talk about places I’ve been and where my family is from |
-I can name some other countries in the World -I can talk about different features that other countries may have (eg. New York has the Statue of Liberty, Canada has snow capped mountains) -I know that people in different countries may have different customs, traditions and celebrations |
-I know people have different beliefs, customs, traditions, and celebrations in their countries |
-I can talk about different types of weather - I know there are 4 seasons -I know how to look after the planet -I can help look after the planet and encourage others to as well |
History in EYFS
In Early Years, we develop a chronological framework to help children understand where they and significant people and events sit in time by:
The most relevant statements for History are taken from the following areas of learning:
• Understanding the World
• Communication & Language
• Personal, Social & Emotional Development
An outline of topics and skills is shown here:
In Early Years, we develop a chronological framework to help children understand where they and significant people and events sit in time by:
- Capitalising on children’s desire to make sense of their own place in history
- Exploring the lives of people who are familiar to them comparing similarities and differences
- Introducing them to well-known historical figures and events both within and beyond living memory
- Cultivating children’s curiosity about people and events within and beyond their living memory
- Exploring historical information and artefacts to ask questions and draw conclusions
The most relevant statements for History are taken from the following areas of learning:
• Understanding the World
• Communication & Language
• Personal, Social & Emotional Development
An outline of topics and skills is shown here:
Passing of time |
Sense of identity |
Historical Figures and Events |
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Year 1 to Year 6 Curriculum
History and Geography are taught through a cross-curricular approach to support either topic work or other curriculum areas.
We plan by including incremental small steps building towards an end point. This means that in KS1 each lesson relates to the next so that pupils can clearly see their sequence of learning and how what they learnt yesterday has helped them today.
History and Geography units alternate, with History being taught in the first half of each term, and Geography being taught in the second half of each term.
We plan by including incremental small steps building towards an end point. This means that in KS1 each lesson relates to the next so that pupils can clearly see their sequence of learning and how what they learnt yesterday has helped them today.
History and Geography units alternate, with History being taught in the first half of each term, and Geography being taught in the second half of each term.
Autumn |
Autumn |
Spring |
Spring |
Summer |
Summer |
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
History |
Geography |
History |
Geography |
History |
Geography |
History
In our new History curriculum (2023) we have added additional units not taught in the school before such as The Stuarts time period, World War I and the Suffragettes movement. The children start Year 1 by laying the building bricks of British History and key vocabulary such as: Monarch, Heir, Parliament and Prime Minister. The children also explore local history and the founding of the Paralympic Games at Stoke Mandeville. In Year 2, we continue to build a grounding knowledge with key events and individuals throughout history. We focus on World War I to better understand our Remembrance Day celebrations, we explore explorers, and the importance of the mobile phone and communication technology.
In Key Stage 2 we start to focus more on specific time periods, starting with Prehistoric Britain and then working our way through the time line from Ancient Egypt to World War II. To ensure children have variety and all year groups will teach at least one Ancient Civilization from across the world, as well as British History. In Year 6, the children reflect on their learning making direct comparison with British and Global History.
Geography:
In our new Geography curriculum (2023), each year group will start with a Spatial Sense unit, building on Geographical Skills and Fieldwork, building on their vocabulary and confidence around map based skills and exploring the local area. Our other units cover all areas of the National Curriculum, ensuring that in Key Stage 1 the children have a solid base to build upon – the countries of the United Kingdom, and the continents. Year 2 the children will do some comparative work with Africa, linking to our sister school Nyandiwa School in Kenya. Then start the journey of exploration of countries, capital cities and cultures of the world with our neighbouring countries (France, Germany, Spain and Scandinavia).
In Year 3, children will continue to explore Europe, comparing Eastern Europe to the Mediterranean. Key physical geography such as Settlements, Rivers, Mountains, Volcanoes and Earthquakes will be learnt in KS2. We want our children to leave with a firm grasp of Human Geography, exploring trade links (Year 5) and the distribution of resources (Year 6). As well as the issues that are impacting the world such as Deforestation (Year 4) and Ocean Protection (Year 6).
In our new History curriculum (2023) we have added additional units not taught in the school before such as The Stuarts time period, World War I and the Suffragettes movement. The children start Year 1 by laying the building bricks of British History and key vocabulary such as: Monarch, Heir, Parliament and Prime Minister. The children also explore local history and the founding of the Paralympic Games at Stoke Mandeville. In Year 2, we continue to build a grounding knowledge with key events and individuals throughout history. We focus on World War I to better understand our Remembrance Day celebrations, we explore explorers, and the importance of the mobile phone and communication technology.
In Key Stage 2 we start to focus more on specific time periods, starting with Prehistoric Britain and then working our way through the time line from Ancient Egypt to World War II. To ensure children have variety and all year groups will teach at least one Ancient Civilization from across the world, as well as British History. In Year 6, the children reflect on their learning making direct comparison with British and Global History.
Geography:
In our new Geography curriculum (2023), each year group will start with a Spatial Sense unit, building on Geographical Skills and Fieldwork, building on their vocabulary and confidence around map based skills and exploring the local area. Our other units cover all areas of the National Curriculum, ensuring that in Key Stage 1 the children have a solid base to build upon – the countries of the United Kingdom, and the continents. Year 2 the children will do some comparative work with Africa, linking to our sister school Nyandiwa School in Kenya. Then start the journey of exploration of countries, capital cities and cultures of the world with our neighbouring countries (France, Germany, Spain and Scandinavia).
In Year 3, children will continue to explore Europe, comparing Eastern Europe to the Mediterranean. Key physical geography such as Settlements, Rivers, Mountains, Volcanoes and Earthquakes will be learnt in KS2. We want our children to leave with a firm grasp of Human Geography, exploring trade links (Year 5) and the distribution of resources (Year 6). As well as the issues that are impacting the world such as Deforestation (Year 4) and Ocean Protection (Year 6).
Due to the change of curriculum, in 2023/24 some units will be taught differently.
The new History and Geography is being developed, reviewed and strengthened over this year. Please see our example Key Stage 1 Unit Overview for History and Key Stage 1 Unit Overview for Geography, which outlines the Big Question and Learning Objectives for each unit. Key Stage 2 will be available on the website soon.
Please see examples of our Big Question Page and Never Heard the Word Grid for the Year 5 Victorian Unit, which we use as teaching aids and assessment tools.
Impact
In order to truly appreciate the intended vision for our curriculum, you must come in, to immerse and experience this for yourselves.
Pupils will develop the geographical and historical knowledge and skills to help them explore, navigate and understand the world around them and their place in it. Children’s knowledge and skills will develop progressively as they move through the school, not only to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare them to become competent historians and geographers in secondary education.
Assessment in History and Geography takes place using a range of formative strategies such as marking and feedback of work and verbal discussions with pupils, in line with our Marking and Feedback Policy. For our summative assessment at the end of a unit of work, we assess each child as ‘working towards’, ‘expected’ and ‘greater depth. This monitoring of performance and progress helps to inform future planning which is discussed termly with the Head Teacher and monitored during curriculum monitoring. Individuals or groups who need extra support are targeted for extra support.
Pupils will develop the geographical and historical knowledge and skills to help them explore, navigate and understand the world around them and their place in it. Children’s knowledge and skills will develop progressively as they move through the school, not only to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare them to become competent historians and geographers in secondary education.
Assessment in History and Geography takes place using a range of formative strategies such as marking and feedback of work and verbal discussions with pupils, in line with our Marking and Feedback Policy. For our summative assessment at the end of a unit of work, we assess each child as ‘working towards’, ‘expected’ and ‘greater depth. This monitoring of performance and progress helps to inform future planning which is discussed termly with the Head Teacher and monitored during curriculum monitoring. Individuals or groups who need extra support are targeted for extra support.
