History / Geography Curriculum Statement

At St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School our history curriculum traces British history and the great civilisations of the world. We aim to provide pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to appreciate our history and that of human creativity, endeavour and exploration through time. We aim to ignite our pupils’ curiosity and fascination about the history of the local area, Britain’s past and the wider world. We feel that it is important that children understand and value their own identity and heritage. Children study the chronological journey of Britain, its influence on and from the wider world. They understand the significance of ancient civilisations and empires, making comparisons between them and our lives today. Children explore real evidence available on their doorstep to explore changes in living memory and beyond, learning about the lives of significant people and events; using historical enquiry to challenge the importance of events. Children gain new knowledge and develop skills through experiences in the classroom, fieldwork and visits.

At St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary our aim is for every child to be interested and inquisitive in the world that we live in. Through teaching, this should provide pupils with the confidence to ask questions about our world; a passion to investigate new ideas; and a drive to interpret their findings, developing their understanding about both far-off places and those closer to home. Furthermore, we intend to extend children’s knowledge through both independent study, high quality geographical teaching, and by giving all children the opportunity to develop their geographical skills to help them achieve this. Our aim is for children to understand the connections between humans and the physical geography of the planet on which we live and how one can affect the other. They will have the opportunities to understand how their town, and the world around it, how it has changed over time and how technology and mankind has shaped this world to what it is today. We want our children to investigate the structure of our Earth and be able to understand the different cultures which inhabit the world round them. We want to provide opportunities for the children to be advocates of positive change in the world in which we live; the generation who makes a difference.