Subject Leader: Mr Rodger                        

Subject Role

The National Curriculum (2014) sees history as essential for helping pupils to develop knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. A high-quality history education therefore should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past, and equip them to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments and develop perspective and judgement. It should also help pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change and the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups.

Intent

At Caedmon, our history curriculum is designed to help pupils understand how societies change over time through the lenses of Cultural Change, Technological Advances, Laws and Order and Empire. These concepts are carefully woven throughout the curriculum and provide a consistent framework for historical thinking from the earliest years through to Year 6.

A defining feature of our curriculum is its strong connection to Gateshead and the North East. Pupils begin by exploring their own identity, heritage and place within their community before developing a deeper understanding of how local people, events and industries have shaped the area over time. This sustained focus on local history helps pupils make meaningful connections between their own experiences and wider national and global historical narratives, ensuring that history feels relevant, authentic and rooted in the world around them.

The curriculum is carefully designed to broaden pupils' understanding of the past, moving from personal and local history towards increasingly complex studies of societies, cultures and global developments. As pupils progress through school, they encounter a diverse range of people, experiences and perspectives, helping them to understand that history is shaped by different cultures, beliefs and individuals. This approach encourages pupils to think critically about change, significance and identity, while developing an appreciation of how people and societies have influenced the world around them.

Implementation

The curriculum is structured around carefully chosen enquiry questions that encourage curiosity and historical reasoning. These enquiries are deliberately linked to the recurring disciplinary concepts (Technological Advances, Cultural Change, Laws and Order, Empire). The curriculum is enriched through purposeful partnerships and experiences. Pupils benefit from engagement with Historic England resources, Durham University outreach programmes, History workshops, Museum visits, and a virtual sessions. These experiences are strategically placed within the curriculum and particularly strengthen pupils’ understanding of local heritage and North East history. Vocabulary development is carefully planned, with the curriculum emphasising “clear and concise” planning with lesson expectations and vocabulary to ensure pupils can speak, read and write as historians.

Impact

As a result of this carefully sequenced curriculum, pupils develop a secure understanding of both local and global history. They leave school with a strong sense of how their own community fits into broader historical narratives, having studied topics ranging from Gateshead’s industrial growth and wartime experiences to world civilisations and social justice movements.  Pupils are able to identify recurring patterns across history because they revisit the same conceptual lenses throughout their learning journey. By the end of Year 6, they can explain how technological innovation drives change, how empires shape societies, how laws and systems of justice evolve, and how cultures adapt over time. These understandings have been built progressively through repeated encounters with the curriculum’s four core concepts.