History Curriculum Intent
Our RMS History curriculum is for all, inspiring pupils to become curious, inquisitive historians with a coherent understanding of the past and a lifelong love of history. We do ‘all the good we can’ to ensure every child knows more, remembers more and understands more. Through a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum aligned with the National Curriculum, pupils develop chronological awareness, historical knowledge and the disciplinary skills to think critically and reason like historians.
We draw on the rich history of our local area, placing it within the wider context of Britain and the world. Through studying significant people, events and civilisations, pupils explore how societies have changed, the diversity of people’s lives and the relationships between different groups.
Pupils learn to question, evaluate evidence, consider different perspectives and draw informed conclusions about cause, consequence and historical significance. Through discussion, debate and presentations, they communicate their understanding and make connections between the past and present. We aim to develop confident, reflective historians who retain their knowledge, apply their skills and are prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.
History Curriculum Implementation
At RMS, History is taught in blocks throughout the year, following a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum aligned with the National Curriculum. Learning progresses from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2, developing pupils’ chronological understanding and knowledge of key people, events and periods. Pupils explore British history from the Stone Age to the present day alongside significant world civilisations, including Ancient Egypt, Greece and the Maya, considering social, cultural, political and military history, as well as the impact of trade, exploration and invasion.
Historical vocabulary and concepts, including chronology, cause, consequence, change and continuity, are explicitly taught and revisited through our spiral approach, enabling pupils to build on prior learning and retain knowledge in their long-term memory. From Year 3, pupils learn to use BCE/CE while recognising BC/AD to interpret historical dates confidently. Through historical enquiry, pupils develop their ability to question, evaluate evidence, consider different perspectives and form well-reasoned conclusions, making connections across periods and deepening their understanding of the past.
History Curriculum Impact
Our high-quality, knowledge rich sequential history curriculum enables our children to know and understand the history of the British Isles as a chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day and significant aspects of the history of the wider world. Our children be equipped with a sound understanding of abstract terms and historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance. Alongside an awareness of key characteristic features of the periods they have studied, they will be able to make connections, analyse and interpret evidence and understand how and why contrasting views arise.
Children at RMS will proudly seek to ‘do all the good they can‘ in our community and the wider world by understanding and appreciating how the past has shaped our society today and knowing that their actions can contribute to a positive future ‘for all‘.
Curriculum Design and Progression Framework
Our curriculum is structured using Developing Experts so that pupils’ understanding, subject knowledge and enquiry skills build progressively as they move through the school.
Click to view progession of knowledge
Click to view the EYFS history curriculum map
Click to view the Y1-2 history curriculum map
Click to view the Y3-4 history curriculum map
Click to view the Y5-6 history curriculum map
Rolling Programme
We have recently updated our curriculum and adopted the Developing Experts scheme of work. We will be using the rolling programme below, but are in a transitional year, so this cycle may be adapted slightly to ensure comprehensive coverage of all elements.