“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
Marcus Garvey

At Cavendish Church of England Primary School, we believe that high-quality history teaching inspires pupils’ curiosity about the past and helps them to understand the world they live in today. Our History curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ knowledge of people, events and societies, while equipping them with the skills to think, question and communicate like historians.

We follow the Kapow Primary History mixed-age curriculum, which provides a carefully sequenced, enquiry-led approach to history teaching that is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. The mixed-age curriculum is organised into Cycle A and Cycle B, ensuring full coverage while avoiding repetition and enabling pupils to revisit key historical knowledge and concepts with increasing depth and complexity as they progress through the school.

History learning is planned progressively from Reception to Year 6, supporting pupils in developing a secure understanding of chronology. Lessons are structured around key enquiry questions that promote investigation, discussion and critical thinking. Pupils explore historical periods through a balance of substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills, including the use of timelines, historical sources, images and artefacts to support and deepen understanding.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin to develop an understanding of the past through learning about themselves, their families and familiar events. This early exploration of time and change provides a strong foundation for future historical learning. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils study a broad range of British, local and world history, enabling them to place events within a clear chronological framework and to understand how the past has influenced modern society.

Teachers are supported by high-quality planning, knowledge organisers and teaching resources provided through Kapow Primary, ensuring consistency of delivery across mixed-age classes and supporting strong subject knowledge. Key historical vocabulary is explicitly taught and revisited so that pupils can communicate their understanding with increasing confidence and accuracy. Pupil understanding and progression are monitored through discussion, written outcomes and retrieval opportunities, which inform future teaching and ensure that all pupils achieve well.

As a result of our History curriculum, pupils leave Cavendish with a secure knowledge of key historical events and an increasing ability to think critically about the past. They can ask and answer thoughtful questions, explain causes and consequences, identify change and continuity over time, and make comparisons between different historical periods and societies. Most importantly, pupils develop a genuine interest in history and an appreciation of how it shapes the world around them.