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

- Marcus Garvey

At Laneshaw Bridge, our history curriculum is ambitious, inclusive, and carefully designed so that all pupils learn to think and work like historians. We want children to build a rich and coherent schema of historical knowledge that enables them to understand local history, Britain’s past, and the wider world, while developing strong historical concepts through enquiry‑led learning.

Pupils are encouraged to develop curiosity about the past and to understand how historical events and people have shaped the societies we live in today. They learn to use a range of sources to ask perceptive questions, evaluate evidence, and form increasingly well‑reasoned and informed interpretations. A strong focus on language underpins the history curriculum, enabling pupils to articulate ideas clearly, confidently, and with increasing sophistication.

History is taught as a chronologically sequenced narrative, from the earliest civilisations through to the modern era. Teaching helps pupils understand cause and consequence, change and continuity, and significance over time. Through this, pupils develop critical thinking, perspective, and judgement. They also gain insight into the complexity of people’s lives, the development of societies, and how identity, power, and relationships have evolved across different cultures and periods.

Inclusion and Adaptive Practice

The history curriculum is inclusive by design and reflects the Ofsted toolkit’s emphasis on high expectations and strong outcomes for all pupils. Teaching is carefully adapted so that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged can access the same ambitious curriculum alongside their peers. Support includes:

• Pre‑teaching and explicit instruction of key vocabulary and concepts
• Visual supports, timelines, and structured scaffolds
• Breakdown of complex ideas into manageable steps
• Regular retrieval practice to strengthen memory and confidence
• Flexible outcomes that allow pupils to demonstrate understanding in different ways

These approaches ensure that all pupils engage meaningfully with historical knowledge and develop disciplinary understanding, rather than a simplified or reduced curriculum.

Diversity, Representation and Cultural Capital

Our history curriculum reflects the diversity of human experience. Pupils encounter a broad range of cultures, voices, and perspectives, enabling them to build empathy, respect, and a deeper understanding of Britain’s place within a global context. This exposure strengthens pupils’ cultural capital and helps them recognise connections between societies across time and place.

History at Laneshaw Bridge reflects our values of Ambition, Collaboration and Trust. Pupils show ambition through curiosity and intellectual challenge, collaboration through discussion and shared enquiry, and trust through respect for different viewpoints and thoughtful engagement with sensitive or complex issues.

Pupils are encouraged to make connections between past and present. By exploring themes such as migration, inequality, democracy, and social change, they develop the knowledge and understanding needed to participate as informed and responsible citizens.

Pupil Voice and Engagement

Pupil voice plays an important role in shaping learning. Enquiry questions are responsive to pupils’ interests, experiences, and current events, ensuring learning is relevant and meaningful. Pupils are empowered to explore historical questions that connect to their own lives, communities, and identities.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children’s historical learning begins in Reception through the Understanding the World area of the EYFS framework. Children explore the lives of people around them, compare past and present experiences, and develop early concepts of time and change through stories, discussion, and first‑hand experiences. This provides a strong foundation for later historical learning.

Curriculum Structure and Progression

Each year group studies three areas of history: Local, British and Global. Within each unit, carefully sequenced enquiry questions and key concepts underpin the learning. Knowledge, vocabulary, and disciplinary skills are coherently progressed across the school. Knowledge organisers are used systematically to support retrieval and build upon prior learning.

Educational visits and experiential learning are carefully planned to enhance understanding, engagement, and retention of key historical concepts.

 

Evidence

Pupils record their learning in a range of ways appropriate to age and learning intent, including floor books in KS1 and history books in KS2. Evidence may include extended writing, annotated timelines, photographs of practical activities, dual‑coded explanations, and pupil voice comments. This flexible approach ensures pupils can demonstrate learning meaningfully and inclusively.

 

Assessment

Assessment is continuous and purposeful. Teachers use questioning, observation, and retrieval practice within lessons to check understanding and adapt teaching as needed. End‑of‑unit assessments evaluate both substantive knowledge and disciplinary understanding, ensuring that all pupils — including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged — make secure and sustained progress.

 

Leadership and Quality Assurance

Subject leaders evaluate the quality of the history curriculum through a range of monitoring and evaluation activities, including lesson visits, book scrutiny and pupil voice, focusing on how securely pupils know more, remember more and can do more over time. Leaders work collaboratively across the Trust to moderate standards, share effective practice, and ensure provision reflects our shared values of Ambition, Collaboration and Trust.