History

Intent

The History curriculum at Western House Academy uses the high-quality Kapow Primary History scheme to ensure pupils gain complex, cumulative, and chronologically-secure knowledge. We aim to build critical thinking and enquiry skills, empowering pupils to analyse evidence and construct historical accounts. The curriculum actively promotes equality of opportunity and celebrates diversity by linking historical study to the school's 10 core values, fostering empathy and appreciation for the complexity of human lives. History is brought to life through immersive trips, workshops, and objects. The scheme effectively supports staff confidence, provides clear assessment opportunities, and is enhanced by purposeful enrichment to ensure all pupils leave as confident, knowledgeable historians.

Implementation

The History curriculum at Western House Academy is implemented using the Kapow Primary scheme of work, ensuring a dynamic, challenging, and progressively structured learning experience for all pupils from EYFS to Key Stage 2.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

In EYFS, the curriculum includes two units specifically designed around the history-related Development Matters statements. These units incorporate a mixture of adult-led activities and child-initiated learning opportunities, which are carefully selected by teachers to align with existing Reception class themes or topics. This foundational stage introduces the core idea of chronology (part of disciplinary concepts) by exploring personal histories and time (past, present, future), and builds early substantive knowledge by comparing characters and historical figures to foster an awareness of societal change.

Key Stage 1 and 2 Curriculum Delivery

In Key Stages 1 and 2, all units are framed by a central enquiry-based question. Children are systematically guided through the historical enquiry cycle: Question, Investigate, Interpret, Evaluate and conclude, and Communicate. This cycle allows pupils to actively engage with history as historians do.

Building Knowledge and Skills:

Disciplinary Concepts: Children progressively develop their understanding of key disciplinary concepts, including:

Change and continuity
Cause and consequence
Similarities and differences
Historical significance
Historical interpretations

Sources of evidence

These concepts are encountered in varied contexts (local, British, and world history), enabling pupils to confidently develop and use their historical skill set to analyse the past and form judgments. As they advance, pupils are supported to create and conduct their own historical enquiries.

Substantive Concepts

Key substantive concepts—such as power, trade, invasion and settlement, empire, and civilisation—are introduced in Key Stage 1, clearly identified in Lower Key Stage 2, and revisited in Upper Key Stage 2. The spiral curriculum model ensures previous knowledge and skills are constantly returned to, reinforced, and built upon in increasingly complex historical contexts.

High-Quality Teaching and Support

Lessons are designed to be varied, engaging and hands-on, allowing children to experience the different aspects of historical enquiry. Teachers use Knowledge Organisers for each unit to support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging the recall of key facts, concepts and vocabulary. We ensure ongoing assessment opportunities are integrated into every unit, including low-stakes quizzes, observation of pupil collaboration, and the analysis of final enquiry outcomes, to consistently monitor that children are progressing and address any misconceptions immediately.

Staff Development and Inclusivity

To ensure a high standard of delivery, the Kapow scheme provides crucial subject knowledge guidance and CPD resources within each unit, specifically designed to build staff confidence. Furthermore, detailed guidance on how to adapt teaching is available for every lesson, with effective scaffolds and support put in place to ensure children with SEND make good progress, and challenging opportunities provided to stretch greater depth children.

Enrichment and Local Culture

The curriculum is significantly enhanced through planned enrichment opportunities, including trips, in-school workshops, and historical dress-up days. Furthermore, the school uses a dedicated Wellbeing Day to teach pupils about local cultural capital and history, deepening their connection to their community and providing real-world historical context.

Impact

Pupil Outcomes and Progression:

The expected impact is that children leave Western House Academy as knowledgeable, critical, and enquiring learners who can make informed and balanced judgments about the past.

Attainment: Children successfully meet the relevant Early Learning Goals at the end of EYFS and achieve the end of Key Stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for History at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2.
Knowledge and Skills: Pupils can retain and build on prior, "sticky" knowledge, developing a historically-grounded understanding of core substantive concepts (such as empire, power, and civilisation). They acquire and apply key disciplinary skills, enabling them to ask historically valid questions, analyse sources, and form historical arguments based on cause and consequence, continuity, and change.
Global Understanding: Pupils gain a secure knowledge and appreciation of the history of Britain (and how it has been influenced by the wider world) and the history of the wider world, including ancient civilisations and the achievements of humankind.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact:

The impact of the scheme is constantly monitored and ensured through comprehensive formative and summative assessment opportunities embedded in every unit. These include low-stakes quizzes, observation of pupil collaboration, and the analysis of final enquiry outcomes, alongside specific unit skill catchers and knowledge assessment quizzes used at the end of each unit to track sustained progress and retention. This robust process guarantees pupils are well-equipped with the necessary knowledge and historical skills to succeed in their secondary education.