History

History Curriculum at Geoffrey Field Junior School

The aims of our History curriculum is that our pupils leave us with:

• a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history 
• an understanding of ways of life, beliefs and values across different periods of history 
• secure knowledge of the history of Reading, from a Saxon settlement to present day 
• an understanding of how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources

Our History Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed to develop key historical knowledge and skills that will allow them to explore a variety of concepts both relevant to their local community as well as the world around them. To achieve this, we have developed concept threads. These are ideas that are interwoven throughout every history unit we teach. The concepts are progressive and build upon the knowledge and understanding from the previous year. 
Our concepts are:

• Invasion and Settlement 

• Government and Rule of Law

• Beliefs and Mythologies 

• Trade, Transport and Inventions

• Daily Life 

• Legacy

• Key Figures

Each year group has set skills to teach within units of work, which are broken up into six key areas:

• Chronology 

• Enquiry 

• Communication

• Interpretation 

• Similarities and differences

• Cause and effect 

This ensures that all historical skills are taught and built upon throughout each year. It also enables the pupils to apply skills from one unit of work or one year group, to another unit of work or another year group. Teachers check the pupils’ prior knowledge at the start of every new unit and between units, to ensure both concepts and skills have been retained.

The History topics taught at Geoffrey Field Junior School can be seen below:

GFJS Localised Curriculum

At Geoffrey Field, we have developed a localised curriculum, which focuses on areas of importance and barriers for our pupils. These key areas are woven into our history curriculum, to ensure our pupils receive a full, rich and engaging curriculum.

• Oracy – exploratory and presentational talk is planned into all history units, ensuring pupils are given the opportunity to work collaboratively, deepen their understanding of the topic and draw upon the wider curriculum to present their work.
• Vocabulary – two or three words are carefully chosen to introduce each topic, exposing pupils to new vocabulary. These are linked to what the children are learning and are revisited regularly. 
• Understanding of the wider world – although the history of Britain is perhaps the centerpiece of our history curriculum, we believe it is essential that children have an understanding of the historical context from other areas of the world. We encompass this through our Viking, Egyptian and Mayan units.
• Love of reading – books and extracts are used within history units, to provide children with the opportunity to read around their topics. The school library has sections for each history topic taught in the school, allowing pupils to follow their own interests and expand their knowledge.