Intent

At The Mead Infant and Nursery School, our aim is to inspire pupils to be curious and creative thinkers through the implementation of our engaging history curriculum. We encourage our children to think critically and develop the key skills to be a ‘Mead Historian’.

Children develop an understanding of a diverse range of significant individuals who reflect the children within our community and have shaped life today. Through a meaningful and carefully planned history curriculum with a strong focus on chronology, our children will be able to understand their place in the world and develop a sense of who they are. They will create a framework of knowledge that they can place new information onto as they move through their history learning journey. This will also allow them to make links across subjects and within life today. Our curriculum also explores local history to strengthen our sense of community and helps students develop a deep understanding of chronology, continuity, and change.

Implementation

We begin in Nursery and Reception by using the children’s own personal experiences, and those of their families, to help them begin to develop an awareness of the past. We do this by drawing up their own personal timeline, including birthdays and celebrations, and by listening to and questioning visitors talking about the recent past.

Children in Key Stage 1 build on these foundations to develop a sense of the past both within and beyond living memory. Each class has a class timeline which supports the children in making links between prior learning and the application of this prior knowledge. We have a strong focus on our local community and look at changes within Stoneleigh High Street and many local historical figures including Hilda Hewlett and Emily Davison.

History lessons at the Mead are hands on and full of discussion with opportunities to research, explore and challenge thinking. Children are introduced to the skills of historical enquiry as we encourage them to ask questions and form judgements about events in the past and to begin to consider the reliability of different sources of evidence.

Impact

Our curriculum and topics are carefully designed to ensure children are immersed in their history learning and develop a deep understanding of historical significance. Children develop enquiry skills that take them beyond the Mead and allow them to pursue and investigate their own historical interests. As a result, children develop a wide range of historical knowledge and an in depth understanding of chronology. They are able to make connections showing an awareness of how historical events have shaped our lives today.