Aims and Objectives
The department supports the aims of the school, in particular:
- to pursue academic excellence
- to create an excitement and curiosity about the past, and an interest in learning about it for its own sake.
- to develop a sense of chronology
- to use and develop understanding of different types of evidence as part of historical enquiry.
- to develop opinions, argue a case and make informed judgements based on evidence, always bearing in mind that historical verdicts are provisional and challengeable.
- to use imagination, especially in writing about history and interpreting it.
- to encourage openness and responsiveness, and specifically to develop a healthily critical attitude towards historical documents and other evidence.
- to encourage tolerance (religious, cultural and political), and diversity by learning of the history of other social groups, societies and cultures.
To ensure that students taking CE or Scholarship exams are sufficiently prepared.
By the age of 7 (end Key Stage 1) students should be able to :
1) Understand ideas of 'past', 'present' and 'future'
2) Understand that there are many types of historical evidence
3) Distinguish between legend and myth, and between real events and people
4) Talk and write about the past factually and empathetically.
5) Use evidence to ask and answer questions.
By the age of 11 (end Key Stage 2) students should be able to :
1) Understand that evidence about the past may be interpreted in different ways
2) Write imaginatively about the past without obvious anachronism
3) Explain the reasons for actions and events in the past
4) Compare and contrast features of past and present society
5) Distinguish between a primary and secondary source.
By the age of 13 students should be able to :
1) Be aware of, and be able to evaluate differing judgements about the past
2) Be aware of multi-causation eg local, national, long term and short term
3) Understand the main reasons for and results of major events
4) Use a variety of historical sources to produce a detailed, structured narrative.