History

Welcome to History at Longcause Special School

Subject Leader: Kezia Trigg

Contact details: kezia.trigg@longcause.plymouth.sch.uk

History Curriculum Intent Statement

Intent:

What will our pupils experience through their History Curriculum at Longcause?

Our History curriculum is intended to enable children to acquire an understanding of time, events and people in their lives and locality. We want to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and to use this knowledge to gain an understanding of themselves and the world around them. We want to support pupils to develop an awareness that things were different in the past, that others have different experiences and how significant events have impacted upon people. This is particularly pertinent for children with Autism who often have a narrow experience of life outside of their own limited social circles.

Why do we want this?

So that our pupils begin to understand:

Chronology
Local history
that things can be and are different according to location, culture and time
the world around them

Implementation:

History will be taught through a scheme of work which is planned by the History subject leader. This will be delivered in classes weekly every other term. We will focus largely on local history as this is relevant to our pupils and allows them opportunities to understand their local area and to visit key historical sites. We will also teach the meanings behind key celebrations and events coverage map that they take part in throughout the year so that these experiences feel purposeful for them.We utilise opportunities outside the classroom to enrich children’s experiences and offer pupils access to real-life learning as much as possible by using the local area, having visitors into school who can share expertise and real life artefacts and taking part in trips relevant to the current topic.

Our four key concepts which thread through our curriculum are:

Similarities and differences
Diversity
Relationships
Cause and consequence

Through our Explorers primary afternoon sessions, those pupils access History through the learning experiences that take place during their ‘Exploring The Past and Present’ sessions.

Impact:

We want our History curriculum to ensure that our pupils will have a better understanding of the past, themselves and their own lives. We want our pupils to know that things have been different before and could be different in the future, being aware that their own experiences aren’t necessarily reflective of the wider world. We hope that through learning about History, our pupils will be able to make responsible choices, including displaying empathy and understanding. We hope our pupils will be curious and inquisitive and will develop an increased ability to find out about things that interest them.