History

"To build safe, independent lives for autistic young people through support, understanding and enablement"

At Springfields Academy, we endeavour to deliver a history curriculum which is engaging, meaningful and immersive for our children. We strive to achieve this through: supporting our children to develop a rounded understanding of the wider world and the society we live in; inspiring a genuine curiosity into events that happened in the past, and by taking our pupils on a learning journey which is structured to support their understanding of local, national and global history.  

Throughout this journey, our children will have developed a wide knowledge- base of historical figures, places and events in relation to as well as developing a breadth of historical skills. 

Implementation: 

From Explorer 1 to 4, pupils will develop their history knowledge via an enquiry led approach. Our curriculum is adapted, and makes reference to, the National Curriculum. It is designed to ensure that coverage and progression is built upon as our children move through the school. In addition to this, the curriculum is meaningful and relevant to our children, and it provides a framework for them to be curious, ask questions and find solutions.  

Each enquiry starts with an engaging question, children are then immersed in the learning, practising the skills and knowledge that they need to know and remember, before ending with a final challenge and answering the initial question.  

Following a two-year cycle, pupils will respond to twelve different enquiry questions. These questions link to whole-school enquiry themes. We want our children to be engaged in their learning and we aim to always make the learning fun, relevant and meaningful. 

Each enquiry theme has key driver subjects, with enquiry questions created to link to these. Enquiries follow the National Curriculum as a guideline for objectives, as well as providing the necessary foundational knowledge required for pupils planned trajectory when they reach the pathfinder stage of their Springfield’s journey – completing the qualification that is right for them.   

History objectives will be covered in the following themes, with three different questions to answer as pupils progress through the Explorer stages: 

Through the enquiry led approach, history learning will be fully immersive as well as cross-curricular. Pupils will link ideas across all foundation subjects, aiding knowledge retention and securing a better understanding of new concepts.  

Themes: 

The themes drive the enquiry and allow pupils consistency of learning as they progress through the school. History coverage within the themes will be as follows: 

The History of my Local Area 

In this theme, pupils will begin to explore the history of the school, with particular focus on the Victorian aspects of Springfields history. Following this, in Enquiry Two, pupils with learn about the Harris Factory in Calne, and more about the local history surrounding Springfields. Finally, in Enquiry Three, pupils will learn about the local links to Joseph Priestley and his discovery of Oxygen.  

Changes in our World 

This theme only covers History in Enquiry Three, when pupils will look at the history of Pompeii. This links in with the geography element of this enquiry where pupils will learn about extreme weather, including volcanoes and earthquakes.  

The Rulers of Our World 

In the ‘Rulers of Our World’ pupils will learn all about the Monarchy, developing knowledge of Henry VIII leading on to learning about King Charles. Following this, in Enquiry Two, pupils will build on previous knowledge and begin to learn about the Government, Parliament, rights to vote, elections and the suffragettes. Finally, in Enquiry Three, pupils will consolidate their learning about the Government and the Monarchy, as well as learning about Guy Fawkes and his plot to blow up The Houses of Parliament.  

Invading Britain 

In ‘Invading Britain’ pupils will begin with The Battle of Hastings. Following this, they will develop ‘comparing and contrasting’ skills to study two civilisations: The Anglo-Saxons and The Vikings. Finally, in Enquiry Three, pupils will learn about Britain at War. They will look at the causes, events and consequences of WWI and WWII. They will study the influences of new inventions on warfare and how life in Great Britain was affected.  

Brunel's Engineering Excellence 

This theme takes pupils on an immersive journey all about Isambard Kingdom Brunel – a famous historian in our local history! In Enquiry One, pupils will be introduced to the world of Brunel and focus on the SS Great Britain. Following this, in Enquiry Two, pupils will learn about the industrial revolution and Brunel’s involvement with this. This enquiry will focus on the development of the steam train. Finally, in Enquiry Three, pupils will learn about Brunel’s bridges and tunnels, with particular focus on The Clifton Suspension bridge and Box Tunnel.  

Inspiring Inventors and Inventions 

In this theme, pupils will learn about three significant figures in History. They will begin by learning about The Wright Brothers and the development of the aeroplane in Enquiry One. In Enquiry Two, pupils will learn about Fox Talbot and his discovery of photography at Lacock Abbey. In Enquiry Three, pupils will learn about Thomas Edison and his discovery of the lightbulb. 

Enquiry Challenge  

At the end of their enquiry, pupils will have the opportunity to share their final piece of work with peers, staff and families. They will also answer their enquiry question, drawing on the knowledge they have learnt and remembered throughout the term.  

From Explorer 1 through to 4, pupils will be following the formal enquiry Curriculum for the following subjects: 

•      Science 

•      History 

•      Geography 

•      Art 

•      DT 

•      Computing 

•      Music 

•      RE (delivered through a variety of SMSC days) 

Impact of the History Curriculum: 

Our aim is that all Springfields pupils will leave the academy with a minimum Entry-level qualification in history; some may achieve GCSE history through a personalised provision plan.