History

Intent

Our History curriculum enables pupils to develop a chronologically secure understanding of local, British and world history. It has been carefully designed to introduce children to a diverse and compelling range of historical narratives and individuals, drawing from a rich tapestry of civilisations, cultures and movements across time.

Pupils will study:

• Ancient civilisations, including those of Egypt, Greece, and Benin
• The rise and fall of empires, such as the Roman and British Empires
• Key historical turning points and significant global events, such as the Second World War and the civil rights movement

We deliberately balance local, national and international history, giving children the tools to connect significant events and people to their modern-day relevance. Our curriculum brings history to life by presenting both widely recognised figures—such as Aristotle, Emmeline Pankhurst and Martin Luther King—and lesser-known individuals whose stories reveal important truths about their time.

Throughout, pupils will explore essential disciplinary concepts such as:

• Continuity and change
• Cause and consequence
• Similarity and difference
• Historical significance

These are revisited and built upon across units so that pupils develop a sophisticated understanding of how the past is constructed, interpreted, and sometimes contested.

Implementation

History is taught in a coherent and chronologically informed sequence from Year 1 to Year 6. Our knowledge-rich curriculum ensures that pupils acquire secure historical knowledge alongside the disciplinary skills needed to think like historians.

Key features of our approach include:

• High-quality texts, sources, and artefacts to foster critical thinking and historical enquiry
• Explicit teaching of timelines and chronology to help pupils understand the sequence of events and developments across historical periods
• Rigorous focus on vocabulary to support conceptual understanding and precise communication
• Use of enquiry questions to shape each unit, encouraging pupils to pose their own questions and develop well-reasoned responses
• Opportunities to make meaningful connections across time and between civilisations, cultures and social movements

Pupils are taught how to analyse primary and secondary sources, explore multiple perspectives and interpretations, and reflect on the reliability of different accounts. This helps them understand how historical narratives are shaped.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to:

• Recall and articulate key historical knowledge with confidence and clarity
• Demonstrate an understanding of significant events, movements and individuals across different periods and civilisations
• Use historical vocabulary with accuracy and insight
• Apply disciplinary thinking to understand and explain how and why events happened and how they are remembered
• Recognise that history is not fixed but is subject to interpretation and debate

Our History curriculum not only prepares children for the demands of Key Stage 3 and beyond—it shapes pupils who are curious, informed and thoughtful. Pupils leave Bevington with a deep appreciation of the complexities of the past and a secure understanding of how it continues to influence the present.