History and Geography

Our intent is for a humanities curriculum that is inclusive, expansive and diverse; enabling pupils to develop an appreciation of the fullness of life and the world around them. Our curriculum seeks to provide children with the opportunities to uncover new stories and take them beyond the world they already know. We want their studies to inform and develop their own identity and to spark curiosity about others. Through expanding their knowledge and critical thinking we aim to cultivate an appreciation of how actions, both past and present, impact our world. We believe that this will provide them with the tools to become active citizens, making a positive contribution towards society.

Geography

Through the teaching of Geography, we aim to give children an interest in and an enthusiasm for their own surroundings and the world beyond, an understanding of the differences between places, a sense of responsibility towards their environment and a range of skills to carry out geographical enquiry.

Our progressive curriculum teaches children knowledge about the world and opportunities are provided for children to deepen their understanding by applying, analysing and comparing their knowledge. We enable pupils to develop an appreciation of the fullness of life and the world around them The skills that they develop in Geography are transferable to other curriculum areas and also promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Children use a range of resources including maps, atlases, compasses and pictures.  They learn about the Geography of the school and its grounds, the weather, the local area and the use of land.

The specific aspects of this subject which are taught are:

• Location knowledge
• Place knowledge
• Human and Physical Geography
• Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

History

At St Ann's, our high quality History curriculum is designed to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It seeks to provide children with the opportunities to uncover new stories and take them beyond the world they already know.

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 develop children with the following essential characteristics to help them become historians:

• An excellent knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from a range of historical periods, including significant events in Britain’s past;
• The ability to think critically about History and communicate ideas confidently to a range of audiences;
• The ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using historical evidence from a range of sources;
• The ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past by formulating and refining questions and lines of enquiry;
• A respect for historical evidence and the ability to make critical use of it to support their learning;
• A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality research across a range of History topics;
• A developing sense of curiosity about the past and how and why people interpret the past in different ways.

We want children to enjoy and love learning about History by developing their knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also  through fieldwork and educational visits.  Our History Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and planned for progression.