History

History lets us live in an era where we aren’t present. It helps us relate to people whose actions influenced the shape of the present day. History is exciting because it takes us back into the times of warriors, geniuses, inventions and discoveries. It takes us closer to events in the past as we learn how things have changed, and who were the personalities that helped create that change. History helps us explore and develop essential skills required to become good citizens of the nation and the world as a whole. At Chiltern Primary School, it also gives us a framework to explore our class philosophies and develop as learners. It helps us understand who we are. Where our ancestors came from. What was the society and culture that they lived in. What we have inherited from them. It helps us understand where we have come from. History is full of real drama, action and emotions; it is a chronicle of life. Those who enjoy life will also enjoy knowing about someone who conquered the world or someone who died for love. History is the study of the past but it is capable of shaping the present. Because we ourselves make history every day, the study of it helps us in knowing what our forefathers did in the past and whether or not it was right.

Aims and objectives of the History Curriculum at Chiltern Primary School:

Every unit of work that is taught to the children at Chiltern Primary School, in both KS1 and KS2, will address and allow children to build knowledge that is focussed on a core set of skills and ideas. 

• Developing an understanding of the chronology of the people, events, periods or civilisation studied;
• Identifiying characteristic features of events, people, periods or civilisations studied;
• Contnuity and change - developing an understanding that while many aspects of life changed for people over time, change was not necessarily universal no occured at a consistent rate; 
• Cause and consequence - developing an understanding that changes in the past usually resulted from several factros and that the consequences of those changes affected people differently, or not at all, depending on other factors;
• Historical signifance - in historical terms this implies that the impact of an event, individual or group actions or change was widespread, wide ranging or lasted for some considerable time (possibly even into our lives today);
• Historical interpretation - building an understanding that all history is to some extent a construct, the reliability of which depends on the type and range of evidence available about a person, event, period or civilisation and the aims or view of those that developed the construct; 
• Historical Enquiry - the development and increasingly sophisticated use of historical skills and the ability to communicate the findings of historical learning.