Our Approach
At Monkshouse Primary Academy, we aim to inspire pupils to become curious and analytical thinkers with a broad understanding of the past – adopting the mindset of a historian. Our goal is for pupils to develop the confidence to question and investigate evidence, explore different perspectives and build informed interpretations of events, people and societies. We aim to build pupils’ awareness of how History shapes identities, cultures and communities over time. The goal is to inspire them to become reflective, active citizens who can draw on historical understanding to make sense of the present and contribute thoughtfully to the future.
The Kapow scheme supports teachers in developing their subject knowledge and skills, enabling them to confidently deliver engaging, well-informed lessons. The curriculum is designed to be both accessible and ambitious, ensuring all pupils’ participation and achievement.
Vision in Action
Based on the aims of the National curriculum, the following five strands have been identified, which run throughout the History curriculum:
This strand focuses on building pupils’ knowledge of significant people, events and civilisations from both Britain and the wider world. It ensures pupils develop a rich understanding of historical content, from ancient civilisations to modern history, providing the foundation for deeper enquiry and analysis.
Chronological awareness helps pupils develop a coherent sense of time. It supports their ability to place historical events, people, and changes within a clear timeline, understand the sequence and duration of events and distinguish between different historical periods.
This strand develops pupils’ understanding of key historical terms and ideas, such as ‘power’, ‘civilisation’, ‘trade’, and ‘beliefs’. These concepts are revisited across different contexts and time periods, helping pupils to develop their understanding of these abstract concepts as they encounter them through the curriculum.
Pupils are introduced to the ways historians think and work. The strand includes concepts such as change and continuity, cause and consequence, similarity and difference and historical significance. Pupils learn how to use these ideas to analyse the past, make connections and form their own interpretations.
Historical enquiry equips pupils with the skills to investigate the past using evidence. It supports them to ask meaningful questions, evaluate sources, weigh arguments and understand how different interpretations of history are constructed. This strand is central to developing critical thinking and historical perspective.
The History curriculum has been planned with these strands running through each unit, ensuring balanced coverage of the different areas of History and both substantive and disciplinary knowledge.