Stirchley Primary School

  1. Curriculum
  2. Subjects
  3. Wider Curriculum

Wider Curriculum at Stirchley Primary School

History and Geography

At Stirchley Primary School, pupils are taught a range of interesting and immersive topics each half term. In history, we study many important eras, events and people throughout human history. We carry out projects focusing on our own unique past in Stirchley and the local area of Bournville. In geography. we give pupils the opportunity to study and understand the world around them. This ranges from learning about the creation of Bournville and analysing the human and physical geography of Stirchley to the geography of many different countries.

 

The National Curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

· know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world

· know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind

· gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’

· understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses

· understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed

· gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

It is our aim at Stirchley for pupils to attain the above to the highest possible standard. Our curriculum uses four thematic strands – Power, Newcomers, Childhood and Technology – to support our pupils in searching for continuity and change over time and across geographical spaces and cultures. Pupils will develop their thematic understanding and their historical skills with three exciting units per year in Key Stages 1 & 2. Our curriculum has been planned to ensure that pupils leave our school both able and eager to excel in the subject.

 

 

The National Curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

· develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes

· understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time

· are competent in the geographical skills needed to: collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes; interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS); communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

At Stirchley we aim for pupils to develop the above to the highest possible standard. Three exciting geography units are planned for each year in Key Stages 1 and 2, with the aim of providing pupils with repeated, spaced encounters with our four key geographical strands, outlined below. Practical field work is a key part of our geography provision and takes place in our local area.

Mr Emmott

Wider Curriculum Lead