Intent
At Senacre Wood Primary, we aim to deliver a history curriculum that is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more.
Through an enquiry approach, our History Curriculum intends to:
- Support pupils with developing their understanding of the chronology of significant time periods and societies in Britain and the wider world.
- Develop pupils’ enjoyment and interest in history and encourage them to be curious and want to know more; this includes supporting pupils to devise and answer historically valid questions of their own.
- Support pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change and the diversity of societies. Then to use this to knowledge to discover connections between the History they learn and the wider community today.
- Help pupils to understand historical significance including how human achievements have influenced society and how historical events relate to modern day life.
- Provide opportunities for pupils to retrieve, and build on prior learning, so that they are able to recognise similarities and differences within and across historical time periods linked with substantive knowledge.
- Introduce pupils to historical vocabulary and provide them with opportunities to use and apply this.
- To understand the nature of evidence by emphasising the process of enquiry and by developing the range of skills required to interpret primary and secondary source materials. This includes distinguishing between historical facts and the interpretation of those facts.
For details of how we implement this within our school and how we measure the impact, please read our History policy.
VE Day 2025
On Thursday 8th May 2025, we celebrated 80 years of the end of World War 2.
Staff and children dressed in either 1940's clothes or wore red white and blue to celebrate.
Mrs Clarkson did some art-work with each class, based on the work of
Mrs Cripps taught us a song- by Dame Vera Lynn.
Mrs Wright did a whole school assembly to teach us all about what VE Day was and why it was important to remember it.
Year 2 completed a reading comprehension and learnt:
Aria- They had street parties
Jahangir- VE means Victory in Europe
Tommy- It is from 1945
Maisie- we sing songs
Sophia- it's over 75 years ago
Leja- The war finished in Europe but they carried on fighting in other places
Year 1 wrote an acrostic poem about England:
Year 5 completed some map work where they were given location clues to places in the UK where street parties were held.
Year R created Union Flags.
Year 3 read information about VE day and talked about what it meant.
Year 4 did some 1940s dancing and made some posters.
Year 6 had spent two terms learning about the war and were able to explain why VE day was so important.
Term 1
Oak Class will be learning all about themselves in their very first term at school. They will think about how they have changed since they were babies and what they can do now that they couldn't then.
Ash Class are learning about the monarchy. They have looked King Charles and his family tree and will go on to role play his coronation.
Beech Class are learning about air travel during their history enquiry. They will learn about the progress achieved by The Wright Brothers, the Montgolfier Brothers, Amelia Earhart and Lillian Bland.
Rowan Class are learning about what life was like in prehistoric times. They will be making a clay model of Stonehenge as part of their learning.
Willow Class are learning about changes during Anglo Saxon rule. They will be making helmets during this topic and it will then link to their next enquiry about the Vikings.
Maple Class are learning about life in Victorian times which will culminate in a trip to The Museum of Kent Life to take part in their Victorian Christmas experience.
Terms 2 and 3
History lessons at Senacre Wood Primary School have been packed with fascinating discoveries during Terms 2 and 3, with pupils exploring different periods from the past and thinking about how life has changed over time.
Across the school, children have been developing their historical enquiry skills by asking questions, examining evidence and learning how historians find out about the past. The aim is to help pupils build a clear understanding of chronology and understand how events from history still influence life today.
In different year groups, pupils have explored a wide range of topics. Year 1 learned about the coronation of King Charles III and compared it with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, even re-enacting the events and creating news reports. Year 2 investigated the history of flight, learning about pioneering aviators such as Amelia Earhart and the Wright Brothers.
Further up the school, pupils have explored life in prehistoric Britain, learning about the Stone Age and Iron Age, while others studied the Vikings and their influence on Britain. Older pupils also investigated life in Victorian era Britain, even taking part in a Victorian experience day to bring the past to life. Year 6 began their World War 2 learning which continues into term 4.
Term 4
There is plenty more exciting history learning coming up in Term 4. Pupils in year 6 will continue their exploration of the World War II period, investigating events such as the Battle of Britain and learning about evacuation, rationing and the experiences of people during wartime. There will be an exciting trip to the Imperial War Museum later in the term. Year 4 are also looking forward to their Egyptian experience day to kick start their learning.
As always, history lessons will continue to encourage curiosity, thoughtful questioning and a deeper understanding of how the past has shaped the world we live in today.