Our Vision Statement
Intent:
Our curriculum is based on the requirements of the National Curriculum 2014. It is planned so that themes are generally chronological in time. The only exceptions to this are Ancient Civilisations of Greece and Egypt. These however are taught in the context of what makes a great civilisation. There is a flow of topics through each year group and then across the school so that comparisons and links can be made. All themes are cross-referenced with the skills that need to be taught for History and Geography so that content and accumulative skills are taught in a cohesive way.
Time lines are evident in every classroom enabling pupils to make connections and build continuously their concept of time. For Geography all classes have access to a globe and atlases so that they develop their knowledge of the UK and the World beyond and have a growing understanding of cultural capital. This is evident in specific lessons but it is also embedded in all our learning – for example our early morning boards display a fact or date of the day which is often time or geographically based. Many of our SEND pupils may have a limited experience of the world so we try to expose them to as many experiences as possible through maps, films, internet research, trips and walks around the local area. Our curriculum is ambitious in that it extends beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum. Every Year group has a theme: For example Year 3 is ‘This green and pleasant land’ where pupils will study Stone Age, the UK, Farming and the Coast all linking together in a cohesive way.
The curriculum is planned so that it is broadly chronological. This is to ensure that pupils can build on their concept of time in history and then make links between times and periods in history. Topics are taught in Geography so that Year 3 study the UK, Year 4 Europe, Year 5 exploration around the world, and Year 6 modern travel communications and the sustainability of the planet in the future. Knowledge is made explicit to the pupils by making links and comparisons: For example in Year 5 the Explorers topic considers why the Anglo Saxon and Vikings travelled and then moves on to advances in shipbuilding and navigation that enabled explorers to travel around the world and then to space. Each year group has written a mind map for their topic to organise knowledge and skills and to maximise cross-curricular links wherever possible. Teachers also use X-mind for all their plans and resources cross-referenced with the skills for history and geography.
All themes aim to give pupils a greater understanding of the wider world. For example building the pupils’ map work skills in KS2 is essential so that they will be able to access the Geography Curriculum at KS3. Similarly the pupil’s need a concept of time so that they can place historical event in context and also understand how events of the past for example the role Ramsgate played in the Battle of Britain can affect the future. It is important for pupils to develop a sense of place and what might happen to their local area in the future.
The reasons for exploration as studied in Year 5 is another key concept for pupils to understand as this something that is ongoing in terms of space and our understanding of our world and how we can protect it.
Our Curriculum
Implementation:
At Christ Church we believe that children learn best when they are immersed fully in their learning and as such pupils are taught the knowledge and skills of history and geography through Topic based cross-curricular lessons.
Each year group has the opportunity to take part in Topic immersion days. This includes Egyptian days, Roman days and Space Exploration Days as well as investigation and research about World War 2 and the Battle of Britain. We are also planning a whole school Easter Egg hunt where the children will need to use orienteering skills to find the eggs hidden in the school grounds!
Our curriculum is enriched even further with the addition of visits to sites of local historical interest such as the Roman museum in Canterbury and the Ramsgate Tunnels. We believe that these opportunities are what brings the past to life for our pupils and ensures that they not only achieve as much as they possibly can in History and Geography but also that they get the maximum enjoyment from their time here. Year 4 also compare Ramsgate and London involving trails and mapping activities.
Recently children at Christ Church are even choosing their own topics to study for a term. This is an exciting chance for the pupils to have complete ownership of their learning. Our creative teachers will ensure that the skills and new National Curriculum requirements for both history and geography are woven into these new topics whilst the children study something that they are totally engaged with and which is relevant to their lives.
Please click on the Long Term Plan on the left to enlarge.
Progression of skills
Impact:
Each unit of work is mapped against the progression documents to ensure that learners develop a detailed knowledge and skills across the full breadth of the History and Geography curriculum through engaging and age appropriate content. Strong cross-curricular links are made whenever possible. This all helps to make the learning memorable, allowing links to be made and ultimately creating a higher level of engagement and understanding.
Please find the progression grids below for History and Geography.
National Geographic have a website that has many amazing information pages and facts for all the family. There are quizzes you can take part in, geographical games short videos and they also have a regular pod cast.
If you have Disney plus there are also some really interesting programmes that link to the activities.
BBC Sounds has a regular history pod cast for children on a range of different periods in History.
You can also access many Horrible History episodes online.
Click on the links to the right to find out more!