History Intent

We are proud of our approach to teaching History at East Boldon Junior School as it is designed to give pupils equal opportunities to allow them to think and write as historians, inspire children’s curiosity of the past, helps children understand their place in the world and challenge them to make sense of the similarities and differences in human experiences across time and place. At our school, the ethos “to be the best you can be” underpins everything we do including the teaching of History. Through History, we aim to inspire pupils to be curious, reflective, and ambitious learners who understand how the past shapes the world they live in today. We want every child to achieve their personal best by developing a deep knowledge of historical events, people, and places, and by using this knowledge to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and form their own interpretations of the past and teach History in an engaging, inquiry-based way that brings the past to life. Our approach encourages pupils to explore evidence, debate ideas, and consider multiple perspectives. We carefully select content and methods that meet the needs of our pupils providing rich experiences, inclusive representation, and opportunities for all learners to succeed, regardless of background. Our teaching reflects our social and geographical context. We make strong links to the local area’s heritage, significant people, and events that have shaped our community, while also broadening pupils’ horizons with national and global history. This helps pupils see themselves as part of a wider story and understand their place in the world. History curriculum has been developed to reflect the identity and aspirations of our school community. This bespoke approach makes our History curriculum both relevant and ambitious. It ensures that every child, regardless of their starting point, can be the best they can be as historians, as thinkers, and as citizens of the future.

History Implementation

History Impact

History at East Boldon juniors has a deep impact within our students' knowledge and understanding of key historical concepts. Pupils can talk confidently about key events, people, and changes over time, showing a sense of chronology and cause/effect. Pupils use historical enquiry skills such as interpreting sources, using evidence, and forming reasoned judgments and cultural awareness – pupils understand how the past has shaped the world they live in and can make links between local, national, and global history. History lessons at EBJ, spark curiosity about the past and encourage further independent learning. Pupils demonstrate clear progress in historical vocabulary, depth of knowledge, and ability to think critically across year groups and are able to use their prior learning to enhance the topics at hand. At East Boldon Juniors, we want pupils to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging by learning about our local area, Britain’s past, and world history. We encourage students to think critically and ask questions about sources, motives, and reliability as well as create a culture that understands cause and consequence to make sense of change over time. We pride ourselves on appreciating diversity by exploring different perspectives and voices from history. EBJ students build transferable skills such as research, argument construction, and evidence-based reasoning. And most importantly, we enjoy learning about the past and see its relevance to their present and future lives. When gathering pupil voice (through surveys, interviews, or class discussions) students' enjoyment of engaging topics like Ancient Egypt, the Vikings, or World War II were easily seen. The students were most engaged with active learning where they enjoy hands-on activities, drama, artefact work, and trips. EBJ students have a desire for variety and like learning about different cultures and parts of the world, not just British history. We have also seen an increased confidence in recall. Year 5 and 6 pupils often feel proud when they can make links between topics studied across different years.