Here at St. Joseph’s, we aim to provide a high-quality history education which will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and events that have shaped the world today..

Curriculum Intent

Here at St. Joseph’s, we aim to provide a high-quality history education which will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and events that have shaped the world today. Teaching will equip pupils to ask and answer perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. We aim to extend our knowledge of key historic events and periods through engaging and enriching school visits which also help to deepen our pupil’s understanding. Through our teaching of History, we aim to develop the essential knowledge, skills and understanding, which are the building blocks for later life.

History is taught through timetabled specific lessons on a half termly basis, alternating with geography.

Whole School Long-Term Overview History 2023-24

Aims

EYFS

As part of the EYFS Framework, children are taught all about ‘Understanding the World’. Please see our long term overview and EYFS page for our Nursery and Reception curriculum information.

Key Stage 1 and 2

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
• Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’ understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections
• Draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

Curriculum Impact

Assessment of children’s learning in History is an ongoing monitoring of children’s understanding, knowledge and skills by the class teacher, throughout lessons. This assessment is then used to inform differentiation, support and challenge required by the children.

Summative assessments take place throughout the year and teachers record the progress and attainment against the National Curriculum expectations. Teachers use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. This data is analysed on a termly basis to inform and address any trends or gaps in attainment.

Final end of year assessments are made using assessment criteria that has been developed in line with the National Curriculum. Thus identifying the level in which the child is working.

Below you will find the whole school subject overview and progression frameworks for this area of the curriculum:

Your child will be required to demonstrate a range of skills in each of these subject areas as they move through the school. We have produced some guidance on the progression of these skills across each year group. Please click on the links below.

History progression skills KS 1

History progression skills KS2

School Visits

We provide our children with opportunities to explore their local area; carefully planning trips to link with termly topics in order to bring learning to life.

Year 5 – Staffordshire Hoard – 27th September 2024

During our History lesson this week, the students learnt about the Staffordshire Hoard and researched some of the individual artefacts that were discovered by archaeologist. Students learnt that the Staffordshire Hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found, comprising over 4,000 items. Archaeologists believe the Hoard was buried during the 7th Century, at a time when the region was part of the Kingdom of Mercia. For a bit of fun, students dressed up as Anglo-Saxon warriors and had their picture taken.

Year 4 – Local History Research – 27th September 2024

This week in History, our Year 4 pupils have been diving into the fascinating world of Highgate Cemetery. As part of their Victorian London studies, they’ve been learning about this iconic burial ground and its significance during the era. Using Chromebooks and Google Search, the children were tasked with researching a range of questions about the cemetery and Victorian life.

Pupils explored the differences between graveyards and cemeteries, the rapid population rise in Victorian cities, and how this impacted living conditions in London at the time. They also looked at how burial practices evolved, including why the London Necropolis Company was formed and the role of conservation in maintaining historical sites like Highgate Cemetery.

One of the highlights was discovering who the first person buried at Highgate Cemetery was, and why wealthy Victorians chose this location for their final resting place. The pupils were particularly intrigued by the unique Circle of Lebanon vaults, built around an ancient cedar tree, which gave them a sense of the history and grandeur of the cemetery.

This lesson not only helped them develop their research skills but also deepened their understanding of Victorian society. It was wonderful to see their curiosity grow as they delved into the past! We encourage you to ask your child about what they learned this week and to explore more about this fascinating period of history together.

Nursery – We are family – 27th September 2024

This week in Nursery, the children have been looking at the book ‘We are Family’ by Ryan Wheatcroft. Just like the story, the children spoke about what they liked to eat for breakfast, how they arrive at school, and how their families help them when they are feeling sick. As well as this, the children made their own house using lolly sticks! The children were encouraged to draw their family members inside their home and discuss who they were drawing. We have also been celebrating families by presenting to the class! The children have LOVED speaking about their families and sharing some amazing memories.

Pre-Nursery – All About Me! – 20th September 2024

This week in our classes we have started our new theme ‘All About Me.’ The children used mirrors to look at themselves before creating their own self portrait. They used a range of materials including paint and wool to create their faces.

Year 1: My Family History – 20th September 2024

This week in Year 1, we started our new History Topic: My Family History! We worked on understanding the meanings of ‘past’ and ‘timeline’ and practiced ordering some events chronologically. We also initiated discussions about our grandparents, bringing in various pictures to share with the class. Later, we visited our school timeline to investigate some past events that have taken place both globally and locally. We are excited to continue learning and comparing our childhood experiences with those of our grandparents! Thank you to all those who have sent in photos, we have loved sharing them with the class and discussing our families!

Year 5: The very exciting Anglo-Saxons! – 16th September 2024

Year 5 looked at who the Anglo-Saxons were and why they decided to settle in Britain. They used the school timeline to investigate this time period and reviewed maps to explore how far the Anglo-Saxons travelled from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands to reach Britain.

Nursery: Asian adventures and a superhero celebration – 14th June 2024

Pearl Class continued their exploration of our wonderful world by learning about some of the countries that make up Asia. We were excited to discover that in our class we have children who have cultural roots from China, Indonesia and Thailand! We had a wonderful week sharing photos, costumes and treasures from these countries, and finding our special countries on globes and maps.

Reception: Superhero Picnic – 14th June 2024

On Friday, we welcomed our superheroes into school for our Superhero picnic. The children enjoyed lots of tasty treats and relaxed in amongst the trees in our Woodland Area. It was a great opportunity to show the superheroes in our lives how special they are to us and to give them a well deserved treat. Reception were also very lucky that the sunshine decided to stay out for us and the children had so much fun playing with their friends and family in our beautiful woodland area. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for this special occasion and we hope that you enjoyed as much as Reception did.

Year 2 History Timeline – 7th June 2024

In Science, Year 2 started their brand new topic ‘Scientists and Inventors’. The children used the school’s History timeline to find some key discoveries and inventions that have been made over time. They worked in groups to spot various examples. When we got back to class, they shared everything they found and we compiled a list together.

Year 4: Walk like an Egyptian! – 10th May 2024

We have had a very exciting week in Year 4! We started the week with lots of rehearsing for our class assemblies before performing them in front of our nearest and dearest!

The children spoke beautifully, clearly, confidently and with great expression! There were lots of lines to learn, which showcased their amazing knowledge but also their capabilities to learn them of by heart.

Some of the fantastic and positive comments from parents include:

‘Everyone did an amazing job, you all should be proud!’

‘A* – Fantastic!’

‘Joyful and wonderful – a pleasure to watch the children showing of their talents!’

‘Absolutely amazing! Wish I could watch it again! Well done everyone, BEST FRIDAY EVER!’

Year 5 Explorers! – 3rd May 2024

We also took part in a very exciting History lesson in which they took a trip on a Tudor ship, sailing the seas! In History Year 5 are learning all about different explorers and why these people made these trips to new lands. In this lesson they learned what it would be like to live life on a Tudor boat- the food they ate, the illness they suffered from and the jobs they had to complete.

Women’s History Month! – 22nd March 2024

This week, Year 5 had a special visit from the Arsenal Hub to teach them all about the History of Women in Sport, as this month is Women’s History Month. It is imperative that our pupils see strong women in sport and the girls in our class know that sport is for everyone. Perhaps it even inspired some of our pupils to pursue a career in football.  The class looked at historical women football players as well as the current football team for Arsenal. The class were then asked to think of a woman in their life and how they inspired them and created a fact file on them. This was an inspirational talk that the children took a great deal from.

Reception Palaeontologists – 15th March 2024

At the beginning of this week, the Reception children discovered dinosaur eggs in their classrooms. The observed the eggs and made predictions about what they thought was inside. As the week went on, the children took on the role of palaeontologists, studying the eggs and learning all about the dinosaurs that may be inside them. Eventually, they used different tools to crack the eggs and carve away the outside to discover tiny dinosaurs inside. The teachers were so impressed to see the children put their new knowledge into practice by naming the dinosaurs that had hatched based upon the characteristics they had observed. The children used books and online search engines to find out more information about the dinosaurs and wrote about the features that they could see.

Lunar New Year in Nursery – 23rd February 2024

This week nursery have been celebrating Lunar New Year, and we are particularly lucky to have children and their families who could share their Chinese cultural heritage with us. We looked at a range of beautiful clothes, artefacts and decorations – and we learnt that 2024 is the year of the dragon. We made fabulous red dragons from playdough, and made dragon and lantern pictures on the creative table.

Greatest Explorers in Year 1 – 19th January 2024

Year 1 have started their new History topic “Greatest Explorers”. Year One focused on what an Explorer is, what they did, what equipment they would use, and what kind of characteristics they would need to have. Year One believed that an Explorer needed to be brave, resilient, curious and adventurous. Year One had a go at drawing what an Explorer looked like, their interpretations are very unique and interesting.

Miss Clarke & Zion at Buckingham Palace!

Zion’s entry can be found here on the LGFL website: https://sites.google.com/lgfl.net/thecoronation/home/winners-gallery?authuser=0&pli=1

Year 5 at the British Museum – 1st December 2023

On Thursday this week, Year 5 went on an exciting trip to the British Museum. They went into the Anglo-Saxon exhibit and saw the gallery’s centrepiece, the Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, which is still one of the most spectacular and important discoveries in British archaeology.  They also got to see a Viking hoard which was really interesting to see.  As always, Year 5 represented the school spectacularly and we all had a fantastic day out!

Celtic Harmony Trip! – 4th October 2023

In Year 3, we ventured to Celtic Harmony! This trip linked into our History topic this term of the ‘Stone age’. On the day we went back in time and learnt all about hunting, building, gathering and the general way of life back in the stone age. In the morning we got to enjoy den building and the making of tools that were used back in the stone age.

We engaged in some Stone age hunting and gathering. After we had gathered all the food it was time to cook this delicious food up.

Highgate Cemetery Trip! – 3rd October 2023

A thoroughly fascinating trip to Highgate Cemetery this week in Year 4! We explored the wonders of the West side of the Cemetery, which included learning about George Wombwell and his two lions! Thomas Sayers who was a well-known bare-knuckle prize fighter and had 10,000 people attend his funeral whereas, Karl Marx only had 20! We also learned Elizabeth Jackson was the very first person buried at the cemetery and Michael Faraday was an important scientist who contributed to the invention of electricity.

We know Highgate Cemetery was built during the Victorian era and there was a need for cemeteries due to the poor conditions and diseases during that time which led to many deaths. The cost of a grave would be roughly around £61,000 our lovely tour guides Peter and Terry shared with us and there are currently 53 thousand graves!

We went through into Egyptian Avenue and even entered one of the catacombs. We found out Egyptian Avenue is where one of the rarest spiders known as the: Orb Weaver Spider can be located and we are told there are many of them inside the vaults due to the spiders only living in complete darkness…. and thankfully for us, we did not have to see any!!!

We ventured to the East side of the Cemetery, where we discovered George Eliot (also known as Mary Ann Cross), Claudia Jones (who helped launch Notting Hill Carnival) and Karl Marx (German philosopher)! We were astonished at the abundance of history which is right on our doorstep in our local area and will take what we have learned on the trip into our lessons for the rest of the term!

British Museum Trip – 24th May 2023

Year 4 ventured off to the British Museum to enhance their knowledge and understanding in our History and Geography topics. First, we explored the fascinating history of our current topic; The Ancient Egyptians. We saw statues, paintings, murals and artefacts which gave us an insight into Ancient Egyptian life. The children were very excited to see the real Rosetta stone, the tablet that unlocked the secret of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Then, we found the exhibition on death and the afterlife in Ancient Egyptian times. The children completed worksheets to compare a sand and coffin burial, discussing whether the features of each body had been preserved successfully. There was also a range of materials and objects on display which helped us to understand the process of mummification which the Egyptians carried out after a death, such as canopic jars and metal rods to remove organs. The children spotted and recorded evidence from the tombs which showed us the various beliefs the Ancient Egyptians had about the afterlife.

Next, we went to the Roman exhibition to build upon our learning in our previous history topic; Roman Britain. The children loved seeing the various items, ranging from stone and metal sculptures of emperors and gods to jewellery, silverware, pottery and glass.

Finally, we explored the Americas exhibition in preparation for our final Geography topic in the coming term. The wide range of historical and archaeological objects helped the children to begin to think about the vast culture they might learn about.

Ancient Egyptians – 22nd May 2023

Sapphire Class produced a wonderful assembly demonstrating all of the knowledge they have acquired so far in our topic: Ancient Egypt! They spoke clearly and confidently with amazing expressions and delivery of their lines! We are incredibly proud of you all, well done Sapphire Class!

Some amazing comments were left by our lovely parents:

‘They have really developed their confidence, great to watch well done!’

‘A wonderful assembly, I learned lots!!’

‘Staff have done a fantastic job, well done Sapphire Class!!’

‘Extremely proud of all the children, you were all FANTASTIC!’ 

Local Visit to Kenwood House – 12th May 2023

Year 3 enjoyed a local visit to Kenwood House this week as part of their Local History topic. We began our day with a beautiful sunny walk to Kenwood through Highgate Village. When we arrived at Kenwood house pupils were organised into groups for entering the house. Green Class enjoyed their tour first whilst Emerald class had their break and enjoyed many games on the green.

The Kings Coronation!

Nursery’s excitement grew as they started to prepare for the celebration of the King’s Coronation. They made special crown biscuits decorated with jewels. They designed and created their own crowns and even produced their own pictures of The King!

Nursery

Reception

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Seaside Holidays! – 28th April 2023

Year 2 produced a wonderful assembly showcasing many different interesting facts they have learnt over their topic this year! A joy to watch with children singing and speaking beautifully, well done Year 2!

Roman Rulers – 24th March 2023

Year 4 are coming to the end of their History topic on ‘Roman Britain’. They have been reflecting on what they think is the most significant Roman legacy for people in Britain today. We discussed how the Romans pioneered important aspects of road building, introduced roman numerals and the shared language of Latin, as well as influenced artistic movements and techniques. The children presented arguments for each legacy and we compared the positive and negative impacts of the Roman invasion. Over the last six weeks, the children have developed a strong understanding of how intelligent, organised and resourceful the Romans must have been to invade and occupy Britain for so long and change things so radically.

This week we also organised a Roman march, a practical opportunity for the children to apply their knowledge of the Romans in a fun way. They investigated how the Roman army was organised, before role-playing a reconstruction of a Roman army drill with Latin instructions. They had great fun marching through the playground and creating their own testudo to protect themselves.

Over the past few weeks, the children have also been presenting their Roman home projects to their peers. This is a brilliant opportunity for them to recall and share all the information they have been researching.

Mosaics at Navigator Square – 23rd March 2023

In September, Year 5 were asked to participate in the creation of a mosaic at Navigator Square, depicting the Irish culture and heritage of Islington and London. In sessions with Georgie Fay, a local artist, and Seán McGovern, Heritage Project Manager, the classes learned about Irish history in Islington and had the opportunity to create symbols, images, text and other designs which were incorporated into larger murals. This work was then used by Maud Milton to create the final mosaics to be placed in Archway’s Navigator Square.

Some Year 5 pupils were invited to attend and assist in the unveiling of the mosaics.  This event was also attended by Islington’s current Mayor, Marian Spall, as well as Troy Gallagher, her predecessor, who proposed the project.  Music was provided by two Irish musicians; one of whom was a former pupil of St Joseph’s. Also in attendance was the Ambassador from Ireland, Martin Fraser.  He thanked the children for their contributions in making and designing the finished piece. He said he looked forward to an opportunity to visit the school.

A Dinosaur in the playground! – 21st March 2023

In reception, the children received an email from Michel with a video attached. They made predictions about what the video might be about before seeing it. Some children guessed correctly when they said they thought it might be a dinosaur. Once outside a group of children decided to set a trap to try and catch the dinosaur if he came back.

Inside children learned how to manipulate and mold the clay into a ball before flattening. Children then inserted a mini dinosaur into the clay to make a fossil.

In Red class, the caterpillars have now made their chrysalis. We are excited to see them change and develop over the next week. In Ruby class, the caterpillars have not yet made their chrysalis so we have taken the opportunity to explore similarities and differences.

Seaside Holidays – 15th March 2023

During this half-term in History, the Year 2 children have been learning about the recent past. In particular, they have discovered what seaside holidays were like during the 1950s and 1960s. They have learned about Punch and Judy shows, helter-skelters and donkey rides. Many children have also been busy at home making their very own projects based on this topic.

The Bronze and Iron Age – 2nd February 2023 

Year 3 have been using their history skills to find out more about the Bronze and Iron ages. They have explored artefacts, compared home life during both ages and how the quality of life was impacted by the dangers faced during the Bronze and Iron Ages. The pupils even went on to investigate the findings of the Amesbury Archer who was discovered three miles from Stonehenge by Wessex Archaeology staff in May 2002. His grave was the richest from this period (the early Bronze Age) ever found in Britain and contained the country’s first gold objects. The Amesbury Archer is believed to date back to 2300 BC!

Highgate Cemetery – End of Topic! 13th December 2022

A phenomenal end to our Highgate Cemetery Topic! Year 4 produced SPECTACULAR writing about some of the key things they have learned during this term (there were not enough pages to cover all their extensive knowledge!!). A truly wonderful and historic term full of brilliant engagement and enthusiasm for the topic, well done Year 4!!!

Great Fire of London! – 18th November 2022

This week in their History lesson, Year 2 compared aspects of life in 1666 and 2022 to identify similarities and differences. The children learned that there were many jobs in the 17th century that no longer exist today such as rat catchers and child chimney sweeps. The children also learned that most buildings were made of wood and thatch (dried straw) back then but today they are mostly made from bricks. Later in the week, the children utilised the school timeline to locate significant events from the past. They found The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 as well as The Great Fire of London which occurred in 1666 on the timeline. Furthermore, we’re absolutely blown away by some of the topic work that has been completed at home in the past weeks. A huge thank you to the parents for the time you set aside to help with these amazing projects!

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Local History: Highgate Cemetery – 17th November 2022

Year 4 visited Highgate cemetery in order to bring their History topic to life. We had a tour of the West cemetery and explored the East cemetery ourselves. The children were blown away by the stories they heard and the sights they saw.

In the East cemetery, we visited the famous graves of Karl Marx, Patrick Caulfield and George Eliot. The children were very surprised to hear that George Eliot was in fact a woman author, who disguised herself as a man as she felt that women authors were not taken seriously. They were also very interested in the work of Karl Marx, and we spent time thinking about the meaning of the famous quote on his gravestone “workers of all worlds unite”.

We spent time finding some of the grave symbols we had been studying, such as the clasped hands, angels, anchors and inverted torches, and discussing why they might have been chosen for particular graves.

 

In the West cemetery, our fantastic tour guides brought us to the main sites, such as the graves of Thomas Sayers and George Wombwell, which had sculptures of their beloved animals. We heard stories (some gruesome) about their lives and discussed the legacies they had left behind.

 

We then ventured into ‘Egyptian Avenue’ to find the rare orb weaver spider! We learned that Victorians had a strong interest in Egypt and had used inspiration from Egyptology to design their tombs. At the end of the avenue, the Circle of Lebanon, which was originally built around the cedar tree of Lebanon, featured a range of mausoleums. These led us to the catacombs. Luckily, we had the opportunity to go inside to learn about the famous people buried here. This included Robert Liston, a Scottish surgeon who specialised in amputations. Known as the ‘fastest knife in the West End’, he could remove a patient’s leg in under 30 seconds.

 

This was a tremendous trip that enabled the children to appreciate the depth of history the cemetery has to offer – right on our doorstep too!

RAF – Colindale – 15th November 2022

The year 6 children experienced life as a British child during World War II. They learned the importance of ‘blackouts’ and Air Raid Wardens as well as discussing the tactics and uses of incendiary devices (firebombing). The children also explored how it would feel in a bomb shelter when bomb sirens ring!

Nursery’s learning about special days – 11th November 2022

Nursery have been learning about a range of special days this week. On Monday we shared our experiences of Bonfire night and made a range of firework-related art pieces to express what we saw and heard. At the end of the week, we learned about Remembrance day, to remember heroes and the people who have helped us. We observed a two-minute silence and said a prayer. We then made poppies from playdough and collage materials!

School Timeline! – 4th November 2022

Year 4 began a new History topic; Highgate Cemetery. The children discovered when Highgate Cemetery opened and then tried to plot this on our school timeline. This was during the Victorian era, and the children discussed the other significant events which fell around this time. Then, we explored what life would have been like around this time, comparing the difference between wealthy and poor Victorian children. This will be a great foundation for exploring the death crisis which led to the cemetery being built.

Stone Age Day – Celtic Harmony – Thursday 6th October 2022

Year 3 had a wonderful insight into the life during the Stone Age! They visited the Celtic Harmony site BUT they had to request access to the village by letting them know that they came in peace. The villagers bargained with us and eventually, they were granted access. The children had a busy morning hunting and foraging in the forest for stereotypical Stone Age foods and vegetables. They had an informative discussion about how hunters and gatherers knew what to eat and where to get it. Then the children headed deeper into the forest to complete their hunting training. Children got to experience hunting wild animals with their ‘training spear’. Before lunch pupils tried their hand at building a Stone Age den! Children were exposed to a wealth of information about different tools made and used in the Stone Age and their different jobs. Following this, they made their way into the roundhouse for a Stone Age cooking class. To end our day Year 3 came together in the main roundhouse for a traditional Stone Age storytelling session.

Year 3 Green Class Assembly

In connection with their topic The Stone Age, Year 3 performed a magnificent assembly showcasing their wonderful learning throughout the topic!

Museum of London – 5th October 2022

Year 2 had an amazing time exploring the Museum of London! The Great Fire of London section was perhaps the most interesting as the children will be learning more about this historic event next half-term, they established The Great Fire of London occurred in 1666, which produced further discussions about how and why this might have happened in London – they are already looking forward to Topic!

Kahoot Quiz – 14th October 2022

Year 5 took part in a Kahoot Quiz about Anglo-Saxons. What was the name of the King who invited the Anglo-Saxons to Britain? What battle brought an end to the Anglo-Saxons?  We were checking their knowledge about our latest topic.  Everyone was the winner in this game!

Pupils are taking over! – 30th September 2022

Year 6 finished the week with a very special Topic lesson that was team-taught by our wonderful Athina from Violet Class. Athina taught both classes about Greece and introduced us to the Greek alphabet. The pupils then had the opportunity to write their own names in Greek!

Technology

Technology plays a key role in our teaching of History. Our children love using the VR headsets which allow them to become immersed in the time period and provide stimulating experiences to further explore their topic learning.