History at The Whiteoak Academies

‘A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots’

^{Marcus Garvey (in Mary Myatt 2018 p. 174)}

At the Whiteoak Academies, we believe that a high-quality history education can bring pupils into a rich dialogue with the past and with the traditions of historical enquiry.

Through our shared Lighthouse Schools' Partnership history curriculum, we aim for pupils to develop a rich understanding of their place in the world, and of the long story of human development. We know that history helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. With this in mind, pupils learn how the past, and changing accounts of it, have shaped the identities of people, groups and nations.

Our history curriculum is carefully sequenced from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6, with each stage of learning building deliberately on prior knowledge so that pupils are equipped to access increasingly ambitious content as they progress. Concepts, themes and disciplinary skills are revisited and deepened across the curriculum, ensuring that knowledge is secure and cumulative rather than isolated or incidental.

Our history curriculum allows pupils to understand methods of historical enquiry and is designed to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. As pupils progress through the curriculum, they learn how historians and others construct accounts, building on and challenging or refining the work of others. Pupils learn how debate can be underpinned by shared principles of enquiry, and how this can drive and test new knowledge and insight about shared pasts. Teaching will equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.