At Leigh Academy Milestone, we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of History, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their enormous potential. We firmly believe that the recipe for success is high-quality first-wave teaching in History, which is central to the life of our happy aspirational learners at Leigh Academy Milestone.
Our principal aim is that children leave Leigh Academy Milestone with a wide range of happy and rich memories in History, formed through interesting and exciting experiences driven through vehicles that enhance a child’s awareness of their own abilities and strengths as a learner; thus ensuring that children see learning in History as an on-going process not a one-off event.
- The content and skills that are taught are drawn from the National Curriculum for History and is enriched by connection to the IB PYP programme, which allows for flexibility of topics and skills taught to support our learners’ needs. Content will be taught by highly-qualified, enthusiastic staff who will support children to develop their skills and mastery of concepts, and inspire enthusiasm and interest in the subject.
- Opportunities will exist for children of all ages to experience learning beyond the classroom, interleaved with other areas of the curriculum and international-mindedness. In tandem with this approach, cultural capital opportunities will allow learners to enrich their knowledge; for example, visiting places they may not normally consider such as castles, museums or places of historical interest.
- Children will develop a deep understanding of the subjects they are studying. They will increasingly use their prior knowledge to solve problems and develop the sophistication of History.
- Children will understand how British Values relate to History.
- In our River and Waterfall pathways, some children will develop the skills to appropriately use research and sources to consider historical information and to develop a range and depth of historical knowledge and chronological understanding.
- Students from Stream pathways follow individualised learning plans therefore during history sessions we provide a range of opportunities and experiences through the topic themes to support students to generalise their skills to achieve their individualised targets. Teachers can think creatively about how to deliver and incorporate the History themes into sensory learning activities to help provide depth and breadth to their curriculum.
- Themed learning days provide opportunities for full inclusion, as students experience the same learning through highly differentiated learning experiences.
- The subject leader for History will meet the senior leadership team and representatives from the Trust on a regular basis to evaluate provision in order to ensure that teaching and learning in History is highly effective. Where necessary, staff will receive coaching and training in History.
- Carefully designed, interleaved learning in History ensures consistency and progress of all learners.
- The vehicles which drive learning throughout the term are the central idea and associated lines of inquiry. Therefore, History is taught through these vehicles.
- History plays a key role in the achievement of the learning aims of the vehicle. For example, pupils looking to exhibit work may decide to open a museum in their classroom; to enact this successfully, they may decide to visit a local museum or National Trust property to gain knowledge and understanding of the period of history that they are working on.
- Pupils will also undertake a local history study with relevant experts being used in the teaching and learning process.
- Clearly defined end goals are set in order to guide children to achieve their potential. This ensures that all learning is appropriate to our learners needs and matches the aims of our curriculum whilst still fulfilling the requirements of a PYP approach.
- High-quality teaching responds to the needs of children. Spiral learning is a key focus of all formative and summative assessment with teachers actively responding to learning, understanding and work in lessons in order to identify misconceptions early.
- High-quality input from experts and educational resources complement the delivery of specialist learning admirably.
- The topics taught are drawn from the national curriculum and are age appropriate to the learners, whilst also appropriate to the learner’s individual needs.
- Students have the opportunity to explore artefacts, role-play and investigate, compare and contrast the past and present.
- Each pathway and phase has key topics which are to be covered each term, but students are also encouraged to follow their interests and investigate further where appropriate.
- Throughout the Brook and Stream pathways, teachers use a wide range of physical objects such as historical artefacts for students to explore using their senses.
- Throughout the Brook and Stream pathways, the students are taught through sensory stories to allow them to engage with historical events and begin to develop skills through familiar means.
Children are happy learners who have experienced a wide range of historical learning opportunities – delivered through local, national and international context. Our Waterfall pathway will have had the opportunity to discuss challenges within the subject and know appropriate responses to them.
- Through History, children deepen their appreciation of their history and fulfil their academic potential.
- Visits within History have enriched the lives of the children. Students from the River and Waterfall pathways may be able to discuss how the experience impacted their knowledge and understanding.
- Children of all abilities and backgrounds access History learning and this can be reflected in the learning journeys that our students take.
- Children within River and Waterfall pathways may talk enthusiastically about their learning in History and are eager to further their learning in the next stages of their education.
- Fundamental British Values are evident in History and children understand how it can celebrate differences.
- Through wider reading in History, children in our River or Waterfall pathways will understand how events in history have influenced the modern world. Reading materials include Horrible Histories, BBC bitesize, Historical Association articles and BBC News, along with a range of library books tailored to children’s reading ages.
- Students in our waterfall pathway will understand how to decide the reliability of varied sources.
- Through this exposure, students will produce work that is influenced by the best of the best.
- Students in the Brook and Stream pathways will have had the opportunity to achieve their individualised targets through the History themes present within each academic year.