”We are not makers of history, we are made by history” Martin Luther King
At Marton Manor Primary School, our vision for the History curriculum is rooted in a profound commitment to fostering a rich and enduring understanding of the past. Through an engaging and high-quality teaching approach, we aim to ignite curiosity, stimulate critical thinking, and cultivate an appreciation for the significant people and events that have shaped both Britain and the wider world. We believe that by imparting historical knowledge and essential skills, our students will develop a sense of identity, heritage, and a broader understanding of the complexities of life.

By the end of Year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. They will 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 Egypt. Wherever possible, cross curricular outcomes in history are specifically planned for, with strong links between the history curriculum and English lessons enabling further contextual learning.
We enable children to find out about the past from a range of sources – using primary and secondary sources, handling artefacts, making use of local area and visits to museums and sites of historical significance. We develop children’s understanding and skills in looking at and interpreting evidence including recognising that the past can be represented in different ways. We also develop children’s skills of research and presenting findings in a variety of ways such as in written, oral or pictorial form as well as using ICT. At Marton Manor we teach children to identify why people did things, the main characteristics of different societies at different times including links between times studied.
The key historical concepts taught are chronology, settlements & social history, communication & invention and invasion & empire. Within the curriculum, it is highlighted which disciplinary knowledge each learning step focuses on. The disciplinary knowledge and historical enquiry skills we teach are cause & consequence, change & continuity, similarity & difference, historical significance sources & evidence and historical interpretation.

EYFS
Pupils are taught to:
- Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.
- Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now,
drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. - Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in
books read in class and storytelling.
Key stage 1
Pupils are taught about:
- Changes within living memory – where appropriate, these should be used to reveal aspects of change in national life
- Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]
- The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods.
- Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
Key stage 2
Pupils are taught about:
- changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
- The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain.
- Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots.
- The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor.
- A local history study.
- A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
- The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer, The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
- Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
- a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history
History Curriculum Topics of Study and Substantive Concepts
