PennardPrimary School

Ysgol Gynradd Pennard

History Policy

Pennard Primary School

Ysgol Gynradd Pennard

The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is at the heart of our school’s Planning, Policies, Practice and Ethos. As a Rights Respecting School we not only teach about children’s rights but also model rights and respect in all relationships.

Our aspiration is that our values of the school guide the behaviour, actions and relationships of all members of the school community.

Our History policy promotes various articles from the UNCRC. For example:

Article 3: Everyone who works with children should always do what is best for each child.

Article 12: The right to say what you think should happen and be listened to.

Article 24: Every child has the right to the best possible health.

Article 29: The right to become the best that you can be.

Article 28: Every child has the right to an education.

Article 38: Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war.

Article 39: Children neglected, abused, exploited, tortured or who are victims

of war must receive special help to help them recover their health, dignity and self-respect.

At Pennard Primary we recognise that:

  • Everyone has rights
  • Everyone has responsibilities

Aims, Values and Principles Statement

Our Mission Statement -

A supportive community with a focus on

life- long learning

Our Values

Relationships

Courtesy

Friendliness

Mutual respect

Tolerance

Trust

Happiness

Responsibility

Attitudes Learning

Positive Challenges

Confidence Self-reflection

Fairness Enjoyable

Mutual Support Experiential

Partnership Stimulating

Self Esteem Independent Learning

Lifelong Learning

Our Aims

1. To provide a safe, stimulating and challenging learning environment.

2. To inspire good moral conduct and a sense of responsibility.

3. To nurture everyone’s health and well-being.

4. To create independent and autonomous learners.

5. To make school a happy place to learn and play.

February 2015

PENNARD PRIMARY SCHOOL

HISTORY POLICY STATEMENT

‘History is both an enquiry into the past and an account of the past. The past influences all aspects of our lives. It shapes the attitudes, values, beliefs and customs of every community and society’

At Pennard Primary School the staff have agreed the following:-

Rationale

Learning about History means finding out about events and actions in the past. To do this evidence must be provided by looking at and considering a variety of historical sources. In the course of this process, an awareness should be fostered that conclusions about the past are merely interpretations from evidence taken from the sources which survive.

Aims/Skills

There are manyaims/skills:-

a)To engage pupils in an intellectually challenging, relevant and enjoyable study of the past.

b)To develop the intellectual and social skills and competencies necessary for pupil’s to undertake historical enquiries in and out of school.

c)To develop pupils’ understanding of the nature and significance of historical evidence and the ability to handle it critically being aware that the evidence can be interpreted differently.

d)To develop the pupils’ sense of time, sequence, change and chronology.

e)To develop pupils’ capacity to use the concepts of cause, consequence and motivation appropriately.

f)To help pupils to develop a sense of ‘otherness’ of the past and what it might have been like to live in a different time and place.

g)To help pupils develop a positive sense of their cultural identity and heritage in the context of contemporary Wales through the study of Welsh history.

h)To help pupils acquire a framework of knowledge and understanding about the past that helps them make sense of the present and set it in a historical context.

i)To investigate important cultural, social and political issues with sensitivity to the range of attitudes and values associated with such issues.

j)To develop awareness and positive appreciation of the ethnic, cultural, economic and political diversity of human society in the context of global citizenship.

k)To develop an understanding of some of the important characteristics of a number of significant themes, events and personalities in the past.

Objectives

In order to achieve these aims/skills, more precise objectives can be listed. These relate directly to the skills in the National Curriculum.

1)Chronological Awareness from sequencing events to objects to using timelines, artifacts, memorabilia and books to establish a clear framework for their work with chronology.

2)Historical Knowledge and Understanding from people, issues and events ranging from the small, local scale, through to the regional and international scale. To practical and varied assignments, progressively under-pinned by ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions, consolidate and extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

3)Interpretations of History from identifying the ways in which the past is represented to suggesting reasons why events, people and changes have been interpreted in different ways and making links between these causes and consequences.

4)Historical Enquiry from asking and answering relevant questions about the past to asking historical questions using their own knowledge and evaluating sources of evidence and their success.

5)Organisation and communication from grouping items to communicate their awareness of the past to selecting and organizing information in order to produce structured work.

Through out these five definitive historical skills pupils’ should be introduced to a range of historical sources and begin to use and evaluate them using increasing historical terms in order to answer the questions.

Areas of Study

Foundation Phase

The Desirable Outcomes for Knowledge and Understanding will be followed with an emphasis on the lives and recent past of the children themselves.

The emphasis will be on changes reflected through the lives of pupils and their families, but including at least one study of the past beyond living memory.

Stories about historical events and eyewitness accounts will also play a part in helping the child to develop an awareness of the past and of the ways in which it is different from today. Whilst the focus will be on aspects of everyday life, reference will also be made to past events and the lives of famous people such as Mary Jones.

Key Stage 2

Pupils will study historical developments within specific periods, with an emphasis on social life, but including knowledge of key events and personalities. It will be important both to impart a sense of period with regard to selected periods and to give an understanding of change and continuity over time. Pupils should use a range of historical sources which will further develop their chronological awareness.

Key Skills across the Curriculum.

At Key Stage 2, learners should be given opportunities to build on the skills they have started to acquire and develop during the Foundation Phase. Learners should continue to acquire, develop, practise, apply and refine these skills through group and individual tasks in a variety of contexts across the curriculum. Progress can be seen in terms of the refinement of these skills and by their application to tasks that move from, concrete to abstract; simple to complex; personal to the ‘big picture’; familiar to unfamiliar; and supported to independent and interdependent.

Developing Thinking

Learners develop thinking across the curriculum through the processes of planning, developing and reflecting.

In history, learners develop their thinking skills through historical enquiry and reflection on key questions, ideas and interpretations.

Developing Communication

Learners develop their communication skills across the curriculum through the skills of oracy, reading, writing and wider communication.

In history, learners develop their skills of oracy, reading and writing and wider communication skills through using aural and written sources and communicating ideas, opinions, arguments and conclusions.

Developing ICT

Learners develop their ICT skills across the curriculum by finding, developing, creating and presenting information and ideas and by using a wide range of equipment and software.

In history, learners develop their ICT skills by using technology in enquiries, and to develop and present their findings.

Developing Number

Learners develop their number skills across the curriculum by using mathematical information, calculating, and interpreting and presenting findings

In history, learners develop their number skills through developing chronological awareness, using conventions relating to time, and making use of data, e.g census returns and statistics

Curriculum Cymreig

Wherever possible emphasis will be placed on the Welsh dimension, supporting the Key Skill of Cwricwlwm Cymreig and developing Citizenship through the use of the British landscape and looking at partly, at the local context. Pupils will be led towards a real understanding of aspects of historical activities as a means of developing their knowledge of the past and of the basis on which such knowledge rests.

History contributes to the Curriculum Cymreig by making local and Welsh history a focus of the study and helping learners to understand the factors that have shaped Wales and other countries today.

Personal and Social Education

Learners should be given opportunities to promote their health and emotional well being and moral and spiritual development; to become active citizens and promote sustainable development and global citizenship; and to prepare for lifelong learning.

History contributes to learners’ personal and social education by developing their skills of enquiry and critical thinking; their understanding of different views and interpretations of people and events; and of the way in which people have affected their environment in the past. It gives learners an historical context in which to set their own lives.

Organisation of teaching and learning

The children will be organised in classes of single year age groups and history will be taught by each class teacher. Cross curricular themes/topics will form the context for all historical study at Foundation Phase. At Key Stage 2, whilst cross curricular links will be made wherever possible, Historical skills will sometimes be taught discretely where applicable. Where possible and/or appropriate, pupils will be encouraged to adopt an investigative, evidence based approach to learning in History.

The local environment will be utilised as fully as possible at both key stages. Local walks, visits to other Gower villages, Swansea, museums and historical sites whilst on residential courses will also form important aspects in the study of history. Visits to Llancaiach Fawr and St. Fagan’s Folk Museum will also be made. Each will reflect the content requirements and opportunities for enquiry within the topics developed

Management of teaching and learning

The History coordinator will carry out monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the History curriculum. The coordinator will also give guidance over assessment to ensure consistency and help to manage resources.

Entitlement to the Curriculum

All pupils will have access to the History curriculum regardless of gender, race or any disability. Appropriate provisions will be made to ensure that children with disabilities are able to participate in the work and experience success.

Differentiation will be used to ensure that all the children are stimulated and motivated in History and are able to work at a level that suits them.

All children have the right to inclusion and the National Curriculum

This complies with the general approach across the curriculum. It is the policy of the school to afford pupils with special needs access to all activities within history teaching. The access statement contained within the National Curriculum will allow, where it is appropriate, the more able, together with the less able, to work outside the key stage designated for that age group.

More Able and Talented Pupils

The term 'more able and talented' encompasses pupils who are more able across the curriculum, as well as those who show talent in one or more specific areas. The identification of more able and talented pupils is linked to context and in every school there will be a group of pupils who require extended educational opportunities, regardless of how they compare to more able and talented pupils in other schools.

For more able and talented learners working at significantly higher levels, greater challenge should be incorporated by using material in ways that extend breadth and depth of study and opportunities for independent learning. The level of demand may also be increased through the development and application of Thinking, Communication, Number, and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Skills across the curriculum. More able and talented' pupils require opportunities for enrichment and extension that go beyond those provided for the general cohort of pupils.

More able pupils should be given extended opportunities, to not only discover but also develop their talents.

At Pennard Primary School we aim to develop an inclusive and supportive ethos and meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of emotional, social, linguistic, cultural, physical or intellectual differences. All pupils must be allowed to discover their potential through a curriculum of opportunity. All abilities and talents can then be nurtured through an enriched curriculum and extended learning experiences. Opportunities to further extend the learning of exceptionally able pupils will be detailed on an Individual Action Plan.

Assessment and recording

Assessment is a continuous process. It will thus be part of the teaching and will be planned using the same formative approach which is common to all other areas of the curriculum. The methods will vary according to the tasks set, the activities undertaken and the objectives defined. Comments on children’s progress will be kept in teachers individual record sheets. Use of the assessment continuum to plan and identify individual levels can be used to identify the next step in the teaching process.

These will be used as aids to summarise progress at the end of each school year for the following teacher and parents.

Resources

The local area around Pennard has a variety of sites which will be visited to help bring History to life; where appropriate such activities are build into the units of study. Maintaining our membership with Swansea Museum (4site) and the use of Cardiff Museums lending resource library to enrich the historical teaching as well as using the local historian were applicable. With regard to published resources, the aim is to collect as wide a range as possible to take advantage of the different strengths of each, these resources are organised in a central location for all teachers to access. The same applies to videos. Links formed with elderly residents will be maintained.

LNF

The LNF sets the skills we expect learners to develop. Within literacy we expect learners to become accomplished in:

  • oracy across the curriculum
  • reading across the curriculum
  • writing across the curriculum.

Within numeracy we expect learners to become accomplished in:

  • developing numerical reasoning
  • using number skills
  • using measuring skills
  • using data skills.

Teachers will be able to use the LNF to:

  • develop curriculum content to ensure that all learners have opportunities to develop and refine the skills set out in the LNF
  • integrate literacy and numeracy into their teaching – whatever the subject matter
  • inform discussions with parents/carers, learners and other teachers about learner performance
  • help learners with their own self-assessment activities and planning for learning
  • monitor, assess and report on individual learner performance
  • identify learners who may benefit from intervention or who are working beyond age-related expectations.

For example in history pupils will use their numeracy skils when making a time line. They will use their literacy skills when researching a historical figure.

I.T.

The I.T. policy will be followed to provide additional opportunities for pupils to research and make presentations within History.

The Role of the History Co-ordinator

  • Have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Phase and National Curriculum documents for history.
  • Have an informed knowledge of standards of History throughout the school.
  • Organise effective resource storage and upkeep, including the purchase and loan of resources for History.
  • Ensure staff know where to find the relevant information and resources in the designated areas.
  • Keep up to date with current thinking and literature on History.
  • Attend meetings/courses and share the knowledge and information gained amongst other staff.
  • Lead INSET/meetings as appropriate.
  • Support the staff to increase their knowledge and expertise.
  • Maintain a History Subject Leader File.
  • Monitor, evaluate and review standards in teaching and learning through class swaps, and act upon findings.
  • Analyse data and information on pupil progress.

REVIEW

The Headteacher and staff will review this policy and amend as appropriate.

Staff Signature______

Governor Signature______

Pupil Signature______

Parent Signature______

1

Updated November 2010

Policy/History