Welcome to the History and Geography pages.
At St John Fisher, we view History as a way to inspire pupils’ curiosity about the past. History presents children with the opportunities to develop fundamental skills of enquiry and questioning; to become open minded ‘historical detectives’ and explore the past in an exciting and engaging way. Our history curriculum aims to bring history to life, in order to help pupils to understand the process of change and the diversity of societies, as well as understanding their own identity and the challenges of their time. It is designed to enable the children to develop their knowledge of the people and events that have shaped the past, and therefore give them a better understanding of the present in both the wider world and at a more local scale, looking at the history of Leicestershire. Through History, children learn to make comparisons and links between the past and modern times and discover how and why things have changed. Each lesson in our curriculum is based around at least one of the key skills that, at SJF, we have identified as key skills of a good historian. These skills are consistent through both KS1 and KS2 and the children are therefore familiar with them. Please find them below:
Our History topics have been carefully planned and sequenced to build on children’s prior knowledge and look at the skills of: chronology, cause and effect, examining and interpreting evidence, researching, justifying opinions and hypothesising. Each topic has an enquiry question that children are able to answer by the end of the topic, using all that they have learnt throughout. Children are assessed on their substantive and disciplinary knowledge through the use of ‘I Can’ statements which allow for the children to self-assess and the teachers to assess.
Year 6 Example I Can Statements
MTP History Yr2 Magnificent Monarchs
Geography develops children’s knowledge and understanding of people and places. At St John Fisher, we learn about the wider world as well as local areas, looking at the physical, social and economic issues surrounding each case study. Use of maps, atlases, photos and the internet ensures a well-balanced and interactive method of learning for all pupils. There are many cross-curricular links with subjects such as English, Maths and ICT. In Foundation Stage, children learn about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects and materials. They are able to discuss their own immediate environment and understand how environments may vary from one to another.
During Key Stage 1 and 2, pupils explore physical and human differences in the world around them. Children learn about the skills needed to ask geographical questions about a locality in the UK compared to a locality in a less economically developed country. Children are taught how settlements differ and change and they understand environmental issues linked to these. Children also learn about water and its effect on landscapes such as rivers and coasts. They are taught differences in weather and the effect of climate change.
See below for our statements of Intent, Implementation and Impact for History and Geography.
