At Red Hill Primary School, our goal is to provide children with a high-quality history education that transforms them into historians, fostering excitement and curiosity about Britain’s past and the broader world. Our intent is to equip students with the skills to inquire into historical events, ask critical questions, evaluate evidence, and develop a keen ability to compare eras and events. As historians, they will order events chronologically, use subject-specific vocabulary, and form perspectives based on British Values.

“A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.” (National Curriculum 2014)

IPC

We implement the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) to teach history, allowing children to interpret periods and events confidently. Through IPC units, students explore:

• Britain’s past
• ancient civilizations
• significant events
• people and places in their localities and beyond

The curriculum integrates with the National Curriculum, ensuring students meet statutory requirements creatively.

Our history curriculum encourages students to:

• gather information from various sources
• understand historical impacts on the present
• make connections between events, and place them in chronological order.
• enhance vocabulary, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, promoting students’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development.

The curriculum progresses through Key Stages, enabling students to build on prior learning. We aim to stimulate curiosity by exploring historical sites and artifacts through trips and visitors, creating memorable experiences.

History in EYFS

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), history skills develop through Understanding the World. Children explore concepts of past and present, connecting personal history to wider contexts. They identify similarities and differences, sequence events, and explore fairy tales, gaining insights into societal changes. Comparing toys from different eras helps them understand changes and consequences.

Personal goals

We emphasize eight IPC Personal Goals at Red Hill, including:

• Enquiry
• Resilience
• Morality
• Communication
• Thoughtfulness
• Cooperation
• Respect,
• Adaptability

These goals are integrated into learning tasks, fostering holistic development. The IPC Learning Goals encourage students to understand various historical perspectives, cope with unfamiliar situations, approach tasks confidently, suggest new ideas, and be at ease in different situations.

Following the IPC enables us to approach history topics creatively while covering National Curriculum skills. As an international scheme, it ensures diversity is addressed in our teaching.