At St Cuthbert Mayne our primary intent in teaching history is to develop skills and knowledge through a range of memorable learning journeys and experiences so that our children have a growing understanding of how events in the past have shaped our lives today and the communities and world that we live in.

We aim to enable the children to be active participants in history by exposing them to areas of the past that will particularly capture their imagination, either because of a local link, or because of their significance to the history of our nation or the world. Studying the lives of people in the past helps develop empathy and insight. We build on our school value of achievement by recognising how the achievements of the past have links with our present lives. We build on key themes across the school to strengthen their understanding of concept and to build a sound knowledge base for them to build on further as they travel onwards through life.

We want children to view history as a way of understanding current events and how it can impact the future – to feel empowered to act as historians by asking questions and examining sources – rather than as a subject where we google the answers. We encourage children to extend their knowledge by undertaking their own research, and by beginning to develop their own explanations and theories with evidence. We also want them to develop confidence in making links across periods, or between cultures, whilst developing a clear understanding of chronology through learning key dates in British history. We strengthen this by embedding history across our curriculum – for instance giving a historical dimension to discussions about scientific discoveries and inventions, or developing awareness of how local geographical features have changed over time.