History

“A person without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Marcus Garvey

Intent

At WJS, pupils have opportunities to build, master, and deepen their knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world as well as the contribution that other cultures have made towards life in modern day Britain. We recognise that our city and our respective communities are a vital resource to inspire pupils’ curiosity and to celebrate their own heritages. As soon as children come to our school, they are encouraged to explore history both on a local and global scale, by looking at the significant contributions of key individuals as well as the impact of influential groups of people and whole civilisations.

Why is History important?

Our well-planned WJS journey through the History curriculum helps our pupils to remember their previous learning as well as learn lots of new knowledge and transferable skills too across other subjects, such as research, evidence, sourcing, argument and bias! This well-planned journey also gives pupils the opportunity to practise some of the really important parts of the learning whilst building a thirst for finding out more.

Implementation – How is our History curriculum enriched at Westbury Junior School?

As soon as children come to WJS, they are encouraged to explore history both on a local and global scale, by looking at the significant contributions of key individuals as well as the impact of influential groups of people and whole civilisations. Lessons are taught to encourage the children to question and think like a historian, to use a range of historical sources to support their learning and include immersive experiences that inspire our children to recognise the impact of these pioneers of the past in order to become pioneers of the future.

Impact – Ultimately our History is designed to:

– Raise our aspirations through celebrating the achievements of key people in history, encouraging children to be curious and inquisitive of the past.

– Celebrate diversity through giving our children the opportunity to develop an awareness of influential historical figures in the wider world.

– Improve our vocabulary through carefully developing progressive vocabulary specific to History.

– Develop an ability to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.