At Balfour Primary School, we believe that high-quality history lessons inspire children to want to know more about the past and to think and act as historians. By linking learning to a range of topics, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret the past, understand chronology, build an overview of Britain’s past as well as that of the wider world, and to be able to communicate historically. The history curriculum at Balfour makes use of resources within the immediate and wider local area enabling children to develop an understanding of the rich history of their locality. Topics are informed by the national curriculum and are sensitive to children’s interests, as well as the context of the local area. The history curriculum at Balfour is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy.  

History is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children achieve depth in their learning. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school. By the end of year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They are able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Interlinked with this are studies of world history, such as the ancient civilisations of Greece and the Mayans. The local area is also utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice as well as trips and visiting experts to enhance the learning experience.