1
Dateofimplementation:September 2016
Reviewdate:September 2019
Introduction
Fountaindale School is a Nottinghamshire Local Authority
Special School for pupils ages 3 to 19 whose special educational needs fall predominantly within the category of complex physical needs and disabilities. All of our pupils have associated learning difficulties, some may have a sensory impairment and/ or communication difficulties.
Foundation SubjectPolicy forHistory
Including professionaldevelopmentmaterials
1
Content
Page 2Contents
3Overview
Development Process
Location & Dissemination
Context
Page 4Pre-formal curriculum statement
Page 6Semi-formal curriculum statement
Page 8Formal curriculum statement
Development Process
The policy will be reviewed formally every three years and updated as appropriate. The Humanitiescoordinator will lead on this process.
The Historypolicy is presented to the Governing Body of Fountaindale School.
It will also be reviewed within the three year cycle, if required, to ensure the formal curriculum is fully compliant with the national curriculum and any other government initiatives.
Overview
Thefocusinthepre-formal curriculum isonthedevelopment ofthefundamentals ofcommunication, emotional and social developmentand of their cognitive abilities; though recognising that they are likely to remain within developmentally early intellectual parameters. Everymomentandsituationisregarded asan opportunitytointeractandcommunicate.
The pre-formal curriculum is an integrated curriculum that our learners access through personalised support from adults working in those learning environments. Our learners interact with the world around through observing and exploring that world; through all seven senses. (Encounter)
One key focuswithinthesemi-formal curriculumisonthedevelopment ofthinking skillsforlearnerswithsevereandcomplexlearningdifficulties who generally operate within the P4 to P8 or below year one expectations..
Foundation subjects are delivered through an integrated thematic approach withfocusedlearningopportunities that introduces content appropriate to the individual’s cognitive processing capabilities.
Theformalcurriculumbuildsupon andextendsthe knowledge,skills andunderstandingintroducedinthesemi-formalcurriculum,andadherestotherequirementsofthenational curriculum.
Theformalcurriculumaims todeveloplearners’abilitiesthrough:
- deliveringtheNationalCurriculum inafunand engagingway
- providinglearners with meaningful,engagingcontexts for the learning of History
History is assessed using STEP for learners operating below Y1 age related expectations and Learning Ladders for Y1 – Y6+ age related expectations.
Historyin
thepre-formal
curriculum
The pre-formal curriculum’s starting point is not subject content or specific objectives but the engagement and interactions within activities. Therefore the pre-formal curriculum does not deliver History as a stand-alone subject; rather the pre-formal curriculum promotes social and emotional development, learning, interacting with others and the world around them through explorative play, shared stories and activities, and during formal and informal social communication times.
By providing the right learning opportunities; that is where everythingis happeningatonce,andthechancesforstudentstolearnaremultipleprovidedthatkeybasicelementsarepresent,i.e.therightcommunication approach,therepetitionoftheroutines,motivation,comfort,anappropriatephysicalenvironment,time and so forth.
Research has shown that play provides the right structure for learning as it enables our pre-formal learners to:
- express their emotions
- maintain emotional balance, physical and mental health and well-being
- develop a sense of who they are
- participate in shared activities
- learn social skills of sharing and turn taking
- begin to see emotions in others
- develop their interactions with familiar people
- encounter and explore the world around them
- be curious
- experience movement, encounter sounds and music
- In the earliest stages of play (sensorimotor) exploration of the world is spontaneous through touch, smell, taste as well being aware how things look and sound; these are known as naturalistic experiences and are a major mode of learning during sensorimotor stage.
It is important that our pre-formal learners are able to explore the physical world as independently as possible as this enable opportunities for communication and cognitive development. Mobility allows exploration. By exploring they begin to discover more on their own and begin to learn to think for themselves.
Research indicates that shared (sensory) stories:
- support the communication of likes, dislikes, preferences, understanding and knowledge; developing a reaction to stimuli
- support active engagement with the world; developing their focus of attention on events and objects; in other words help them develop an understanding of his or her world
- support cognitive development
- introduce new experiences and encourage the development of awareness of activities and experiences;
- enable the making of connections with their peers through developing their focus of attention on people; developing the acceptance and engagement in shared exploration
encourage:
- the development of turn-taking
Assessment is through Routes for Learning.
Historyin
thesemi-formal
curriculum
History is delivered through themes and topics.
The following is an extract from the semi-formal curriculum handbook
It is important to recognise that there are many differences in individual profiles of this group of learners, and these may well be spikey learning profiles; but broadly they can be expected to move through developmental milestones if they have the sensory, physical and cognitive ability to do so. However, it is important to remember that this group of learners do not have delayed development as this suggests, given time, they can ‘catch up’ with their typically developing peers.
This group of semi-formal learners struggle with all areas of thinking:
- cognition (thinking and understanding)
- problem solving (acting upon understanding)
- metacognition (thinking about thinking)
They have difficulties with, for example, sensory processing and perceiving sensory patterns, memory, generalising and problem solving.
Our learners like order, structure, routine and certainty in their learning. The challenge is to move away from this restricted learning diet and provide opportunities for the learners to think and problem solve as independently as possible.
This group of learners learn best when learning is related to their own experiences. Learning can be achieved through structured play; through functional activities; and by using a topic-based approach where learning is integrated.
The semi-formal curriculum is about developing attitudes or dispositions (curiosity, desire to experiment, challenge and share ideas).
It does this by providing opportunities for them to explore; to we have opportunities to actively construct their own knowledge. These experiences can be naturalistic, informal or structured; naturalistic or spontaneous are where the learner controls choice and action; in informal experiences, the learner chooses the activity and action, but adults intervene at some point; and in structured experiences, the adult chooses the experience for the learner and gives some direction to the child’s action.
In the semi-formal curriculum we would expect to see most experiences being structured experiences being provided through the themes and topics. Opportunities for informal experiences may be provided through play sessions. This learning should be meaningful to the learner. Learners are exposed to more geographical thinking as they progress towards year one expectations; subject knowledge increasing in-line with those expectations.
Our encouragement of inquiry doesnot expect our semi-formal learners to discover everything for themselves; rather, our learners should be supported on relating new knowledge/concepts to previously learned knowledge and to experiential learning. This helps our learners to have a consistent picture of the world they live in and its past.
We can facilitate this process in several ways through asking questions that are relevant to the learner.
Our semi-formal learners can, for example, experience inquiry through structured problem solving activities that builds on informal experiences previously encountered. The driving force behind problem solving is curiosity—an interest in finding out. The challenge we face is to create an environment in which problem solving can occur.
Research shows that structured problem solving and reflective play are important factors in the development of thinking.
Assessment is through STEP
Historyin
theformal
curriculum
Overview
Atkeystages1–3formallearnerswillfollowthenationalcurriculum adaptedtomeetthe needsoflearnerswithcomplexlearningdifficultiesanddisabilities.
Manyformallearnersalso havemorethanonedifficultyordisabilityimpactingontheirlearning;forexampleautismandcerebralpalsy.Thesemulti-layereddifficultiesmaymeanthatinsomeareasapproachesoutlinedinthesemi-formalcurriculumarestillappropriate.
Theformalcurriculumisdesignedto enable learnersachievetheirfullpotentialinthekeyareasof:
know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
- know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
- gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
- understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
- understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
- gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
Keystages 1–3
Key stage 1
Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods. They should use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events. They should understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching about the people, events and changes outlined below, teachers are often introducing pupils to historical periods that they will study more fully at key stages 2 and 3.
Pupils should 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.
Key stage 2
Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
Pupils should be taught about:
- changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
- 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.
- a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
- a local history study
- the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
- Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
- the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
Key stage 3
Pupils should extend and deepen their chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British,
local and world history, so that it provides a well-informed context for wider learning.
Pupils should identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends
within periods and over long arcs of time. They should use historical terms and concepts in increasingly
sophisticated ways.
They should pursue historically valid enquiries including some they have framed
themselves, and create relevant, structured and evidentially supported accounts in response.
They should understand how different types of historical sources are used rigorously to make historical
claims and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been
constructed.
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local
and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils
understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
Pupils should be taught about:
- the development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509
- the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745
- ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901
- challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day
- a local history study
- the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’
- at least one study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with
Changing Russian empires c.1800-1989; USA in the 20th Century].
Assessment is through Learning Ladders