Intent 

At Askern Moss Road Infant Academy, our History curriculum is designed to spark curiosity and develop a love of learning about the past. We aim to nurture young learners who are eager to ask questions, explore stories and begin to think like historians. Through engaging and age-appropriate experiences, pupils are encouraged to investigate the past using simple sources, talk about what they notice and begin to understand that there are different ways of viewing events. 

Our intention is to help children develop an early understanding of how the past has shaped their lives and the world around them. Pupils explore significant people, events and changes over time, developing a sense of chronology and making connections between the past and present. We encourage children to reflect on similarities and differences, helping them understand how communities and cultures have developed. 

We aim to develop key historical skills, including questioning, observing and interpreting evidence, so that pupils grow in confidence when talking about their ideas and findings. Through this, children begin to understand how history helps us make sense of the present and understand change over time. 

Our curriculum is inclusive, accessible and ambitious, ensuring all learners can participate fully and achieve their potential. We also support staff to deliver engaging, well-informed lessons that bring history to life and inspire every child. 

Implementation 

We follow the Kapow Primary History curriculum, which is carefully sequenced from Reception through to Year 2. Our units build pupils’ historical knowledge and skills progressively, with children revisiting and developing key concepts as they move through the school. 

Children develop their chronological awareness by sequencing events, using appropriate vocabulary and placing people and events within a simple historical timeline. They develop their understanding of change and continuity, similarities and differences, cause and consequence, and historical significance. 

Historical enquiry is central to our approach. Children learn to ask questions about the past and use a range of sources, including photographs, artefacts, stories, books and maps, to find out about people, events and everyday life. As they progress, they begin to select useful evidence, make simple inferences and draw conclusions based on what they have found. 

Our curriculum is mapped against the National Curriculum to ensure appropriate coverage and progression. The Kapow units provide a clear progression from Peek into the Past and Adventures through Time in Reception, through How am I making history?, How have toys changed? and How have explorers changed the world? in Year 1, to How was school different in the past?, How did we learn to fly? and What is a monarch? in Year 2. 

Our History Progression Map sets out the development of knowledge, vocabulary and historical skills across the school, ensuring that pupils build on prior learning and develop confidence in thinking and communicating like historians.