Curriculum Intent
Our History and Geography curriculum encourages our pupils to explore the world around them from times past and across the world to today. We encourage our pupils to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, its interconnectedness and their place in it through frequent immersive learning experiences. We recognise that our students have different starting points based upon their previous educational experiences.
We use the Rising Stars as a base for our planning and progression, drawing on the expertise within this scheme, and adapting the lessons to ensure we equip our pupils with the baseline knowledge to become inquisitive learners. We encourage our pupils to explore their understanding using a variety of practical, visual, technological and audible experiences as appropriate to support their learning.
In History, we support a sequenced understanding of important events and the impact these events have had on people, places and things. In Geography, we support pupils being able to recognise, describe and question further knowledge of the human and physical aspects within and outside of the UK. This learning supports the contextual use of key vocabulary to express their understanding both verbally and in the written form.
Implementation
At BOA History and Geography are aligned with the National Curriculum and taught as discrete subjects alternating half termly. As such, we adapt our learning and make decisions as to which aspects we cover in more depth based on pupils’ prior knowledge and ongoing formative assessment. Our curriculum is progressive and is designed to allow pupils to build on prior knowledge. Our teachers promote enjoyment of the subject by creating opportunities for as much hands on experience as possible where our pupils can explore, question, predict, use ICT to further develop their understanding and articulate this through writing or verbally.
Retrieval practise is used at every appropriate opportunity to build on prior knowledge, this enables the pupils to connect prior learning with new learning. We take every opportunity to draw on knowledge they may have gained through their own personal experiences, reading or watching of documentaries. In History we relate all learning to time lines. With Geography we aim for learning to be practical. We encourage school trips to support History such as visiting Butser Farm, Brooklands Museum as well as using Bramley Woods to look at aspects of Geography in more detail.
Impact
The impact of our curriculum leads to pupils linking their learning using knowledge from previous lessons to current learning. Pupils are more confident to engage in this area of the curriculum and are curious about their world. Formative assessment throughout the lesson means that teachers are able to support pupils responsively who have gaps in their knowledge or explore in further depth where appropriate.
Our pupils develop an understanding that History helps us understand where we come from and how decisions in society have evolved over time, helping pupils to develop a sense of right and wrong. In Geography, our pupils are able to appreciate and discover more about the world and their place in it, and use key vocabulary to express their opinions.
