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At Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we believe that History helps children to understand who we are, where we have come from and how the past has shaped the world in which we live today.
We are exceptionally fortunate to be situated in an area rich in history. Sheriff Hutton Castle, with its connections to Richard III and the Neville family, provides a unique local starting point for historical enquiry. We are also close to York, one of the most historically significant cities in England, providing children with opportunities to explore history from Roman and Viking York through to medieval, Victorian and modern times.
We want our children to develop a genuine curiosity and fascination about the past. Through the study of people, places, events and civilisations, children learn that history is not simply a collection of facts, but an opportunity to ask questions, examine evidence, consider different perspectives and develop interpretations of the past.
Our History curriculum is broad, balanced and inclusive. It fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum while ensuring that children develop progressively secure historical knowledge, vocabulary and disciplinary skills.
Our History curriculum aims to develop children who:
We want our children to develop a sense of time and place, while understanding that history is made up of the experiences of individuals, families and communities as well as major events and famous figures.
We use the Kapow Primary History scheme of learning to support the planning and delivery of our History curriculum. Kapow provides a clear progression of historical knowledge and skills and ensures that children encounter a broad range of historical periods, people, events and civilisations.
The scheme provides the structure for our curriculum while allowing teachers to adapt and enrich units to reflect the rich historical context of Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire and York.
History is taught as a discrete subject, ensuring that children have sufficient time to develop both their historical knowledge and the skills of historical enquiry. Meaningful links with other curriculum subjects are made where they enhance children’s understanding.
Our two-year rolling programme has been carefully mapped to ensure that knowledge, vocabulary and historical skills develop progressively throughout the school.
Developing Chronological Understanding
Children develop an increasingly secure understanding of chronology. They learn to:
This enables children to understand individual topics as part of a wider historical narrative, rather than as isolated units of learning.
Historical Enquiry
Children are taught that historians use evidence to investigate the past.
They develop the skills to:
Sources may include photographs, artefacts, documents, maps, buildings, oral histories, artwork and archaeological evidence.
Our Local History – Sheriff Hutton and North Yorkshire
Our location provides exceptional opportunities for children to explore history first-hand.
Sheriff Hutton Castle is an important part of our local heritage and provides opportunities for children to investigate medieval life, castles, power and authority, and the people who lived in and around the castle. Its links with Richard III provide a particularly rich connection between local and national history.
Children are encouraged to look carefully at the historical evidence within their own community and ask questions such as:
Our local area enables children to understand that history is all around them. Buildings, monuments, streets, landscapes and community stories can all provide evidence about the past.
York – A City of History
Our proximity to York provides further opportunities to enrich children’s historical understanding.
Children can explore York’s exceptional history, including its:
Where appropriate, visits to museums, historical sites and other places of interest in York provide children with opportunities to encounter historical evidence and artefacts first-hand.
These experiences help children to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and the history of the place in which they live.
Local History and Wider History
We believe that local history should not be taught in isolation. Instead, we use our local context to help children make connections with national and global history.
For example, children might explore the history of Sheriff Hutton and York alongside their learning about:
This approach enables children to understand how local events and places fit within the broader historical story of Britain and the world.
History in the Early Years
In the Early Years, History is developed through the Understanding the World area of learning.
Children begin to develop an understanding of time, change and the past through their own experiences. They talk about themselves as babies, look at photographs, explore family histories and consider how they have changed over time.
Children learn about the lives of people around them and begin to recognise that people have different roles within their families, communities and wider society.
First-hand experiences are particularly important. Local walks, visits, visitors to school, stories, photographs and artefacts help children to develop their understanding of the past and provide the foundations for historical enquiry.
These early experiences develop children’s natural curiosity and prepare them to become increasingly confident historians as they move through the school.
Historical Vocabulary
Vocabulary is an important part of our History curriculum. Children progressively develop their understanding and use of historical terminology, enabling them to talk and write about the past with increasing precision.
Key vocabulary is identified within each unit and revisited regularly through questioning, discussion and retrieval activities.
Children learn words associated with:
By the time children leave Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we want them to have developed a coherent understanding of the past and the confidence to investigate it for themselves.
Our children will:
Most importantly, we want children to enjoy History and to leave us with a curiosity about the past that encourages them to continue learning beyond primary school.
We want our children to understand that the history of their own village is connected to the history of York, North Yorkshire, Britain and the wider world, giving them a strong sense of place and an appreciation of how the past has shaped the present.
Assessment is an integral part of our History teaching. Teachers assess children’s knowledge and understanding through questioning, discussion, written work, practical activities, source analysis and other forms of historical enquiry.
Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of units and key knowledge is revisited through retrieval activities throughout learning. At the end of a unit, children’s understanding is reviewed and any gaps or misconceptions are identified and addressed.
Children’s progress is assessed against the knowledge and skills identified within our History curriculum, ensuring that they progressively develop the historical understanding expected across the primary phase.
We believe that every child can be a historian. Our History curriculum is designed to be ambitious and accessible for all children, including children with SEND and other additional needs.
Teachers use appropriate scaffolding, visual resources, timelines, artefacts, practical experiences, adapted sources and targeted support to enable all children to access historical learning and develop the essential knowledge and skills.
We also ensure that the history children encounter reflects the diversity of people and experiences throughout history. Children learn about people from different cultures, backgrounds, communities and perspectives and are encouraged to consider whose stories have been recorded and whose voices may have been overlooked.
Through historical enquiry, children learn to challenge stereotypes, consider different perspectives and develop respect for people whose experiences may be different from their own.
We want every child to understand that they have a place within the continuing story of their community, their country and the wider world.