History Curriculum

Intent 

At Dunn Street Primary School, our aim is to deliver a rich, coherent and ambitious History curriculum that nurtures curiosity and develops a secure understanding of Britain’s past and the wider world. Because we are a small school with mixed year group classes, our curriculum is organised into a carefully mapped two-year rolling cycle. This ensures that pupils experience a full and balanced sequence of learning that fully covers all National Curriculum requirements, while allowing knowledge and skills to build progressively.

We want children to become confident, critical thinkers who understand how historians work and how interpretations of the past are formed. Every unit is driven by an overarching enquiry question, which gives purpose to learning and threads understanding throughout the topic. Pupils revisit this question as they encounter new evidence and perspectives, enabling them to develop and refine their historical thinking over time.

Our curriculum reflects the unique identity of Dunn Street within South Tyneside. We give significant attention to local history, embedding it purposefully within our long-term plans so that pupils develop a strong sense of place and understand how their community has contributed to national and global stories.

Implementation

History is taught through a structured and sequenced two-year curriculum cycle specifically designed for mixed-age classes. This rolling cycle is thoughtfully planned to ensure complete coverage of the National Curriculum for all pupils, regardless of the class they are in during any given year. Progression in both substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills is mapped across the cycle so that learning builds logically from one topic to the next.

Every unit begins with an enquiry question that shapes the learning journey. Knowledge, vocabulary and historical skills are introduced systematically so that pupils gather the evidence and understanding needed to answer this question meaningfully by the end of the unit. Teachers draw on a wide range of sources—artefacts, historical texts, visual materials and digital resources—to immerse pupils in different historical periods, while promoting investigation, critical thought and reflective discussion.

Local history is embedded as an essential strand of our curriculum. Units exploring the heritage of South Tyneside—including mining, shipbuilding, Roman settlements, coastal change and significant local individuals—are woven carefully alongside national and global history units, enabling pupils to make meaningful connections across scales of time and place.

Assessment is continuous and purposeful. Teachers use questioning, discussion and pupils’ final responses to the enquiry question to evaluate understanding and identify misconceptions. Planning for mixed-age classes ensures that all pupils access age-appropriate knowledge and skills while being challenged to think deeply about the past.

Impact

The impact of our History curriculum at Dunn Street Primary School is evident in pupils who speak confidently and thoughtfully about the past, using accurate historical vocabulary and concepts. Through sustained engagement with enquiry questions, pupils learn to form well-reasoned conclusions, justify their ideas with evidence and consider multiple viewpoints.

Our strong emphasis on local history fosters pride in the community and helps pupils understand how events and developments within South Tyneside connect to national and global narratives. Mixed-age teaching strengthens collaborative enquiry, encouraging pupils to articulate reasoning, challenge assumptions and deepen their understanding through discussion.

At the end of each two-year cycle, pupils have experienced the full breadth of the National Curriculum and developed secure chronological awareness across key periods. As the end of their time at Dunn Street, our pupils are well-prepared—both in knowledge and in disciplinary thinking—to access the new challenges of the Key Stage 3 History curriculum. They leave Dunn Street Primary School as reflective, curious and informed young historians, ready for the next step in their education and equipped with the skills to make sense of the world around them.

 

 

 

history overview dunn street.pdf