In Brookland Infant and Nursery School, through our History curriculum, we aim to inspire curiosity, encourage children to ask perceptive questions, to compare and notice similarities and differences and to begin to understand how historical figures and events have shaped the world we live in today. We recognise the importance of supporting children to develop their sense of chronology to use this to build their knowledge of History.

We provide our children with an opportunity to know more about the past in a variety of ways, including: a range of educational excursions, inviting visitors to come in and speak with the children, role play, research tasks, and taking part in debates as we want to develop their understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.

Our History curriculum is designed to ensure that the children develop:

• a coherent knowledge and understanding of the past: Locally (Hampstead Garden Suburb and London), Nationally and World-Wide.
• the skills to analyse evidence, to ask and answer questions, to think critically and to develop their own perspectives.

Our History curriculum is planned to:

• stimulate the children’s interest, awareness of and curiosity about the Past and give them many opportunities to compare the Past with the Present.
• ensure that the children have a clear sense that History is not fictional: it is about real people, real objects and real events of the Past.
• establish a sense of chronology, within and beyond living memory.
• help the children to develop their sense of identity and where they belong in time.
• develop the children’s awareness of change, cause and consequence
• support the children’s understanding of the complexity of people’s lives and to learn about significant Historical events and people, both Locally and Nationally.