History at Newfield

At Newfield we aim to provide a high quality, broad, knowledge rich, relevant history curriculum which will ensure pupils have a secure understanding of the past and how it impacts on life today, along with learning skills that can be applied to many future careers.  We intend to ignite in our pupils a curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

The History Curriculum is aspirational.  It is planned and sequenced to develop concepts, knowledge, skills and understanding over time. New knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before ensuring that children can make connections and understand key concepts.

The history curriculum at Newfield includes substantive and disciplinary content. Substantive knowledge is the building blocks of factual content and vocabulary that enable pupils to move around within their own knowledge in the curriculum. At Newfield, the substantive knowledge in our history curriculum is broad in scope, meeting and exceeding the requirements of the National Curriculum. It is meticulous in rigour (responsive to up-date scholarship in history). It is highly coherent. Links are built within and across subjects so that nothing sits in isolation. Units are carefully sequenced to build on prior learning. Disciplinary knowledge is the knowledge of how historians investigate the past, and how they construct historical claims, arguments and accounts. Pupils at Newfield learn how knowledge is constantly renewed in the subject’s ongoing development by historians.

We understand the importance of broadening our children’s horizons and achieving cultural capital (the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens). We maximize the use of educational visits to support our teaching.

Pupils are taught that the sum of our knowledge is not fixed but is constantly being tested and renewed. It involves the practice of various subject-specific skills. In studying history at Newfield pupils will have continuous opportunities for historical enquiry.

A key aspect of the curriculum is the systematic building of children’s vocabulary through subject knowledge.  This is intended to ensure that children build upon prior knowledge throughout the years and leave in Year 6 with an extensive vocabulary. Not only does this improve their reading ability but also prepares them for new historic content in Year 7.  

At Newfield Primary School we know that, within the context of SEND, personalisation of the curriculum is key so that each individual’s priorities can be considered in order to prepare them adequately for adulthood with the best possible quality of life. Our ambitious curriculum can be successfully adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, developing their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know with increasing fluency and independence. We believe that it is vital that our pupils are equipped with the tools needed to become independent, inquisitive learners in all subjects and that pupils with SEND achieve the very best outcome and reach their full potential.​