Implementation

• Big Picture and Key Concepts
  New historical learning is always placed within the wider context of pupils’ history learning across the school. Lessons explicitly link to the six key concepts of Empire, Invasion, Power, Settlement, Community and Legacy, helping pupils understand how each unit contributes to a broader understanding of history. Regular review of prior learning supports retention and helps pupils make meaningful connections over time.

• Knowledge Organisers
  Knowledge organisers provide pupils with access to essential historical knowledge, key vocabulary and definitions. These support understanding within each unit and enable pupils to revisit and apply their knowledge across the curriculum.

• Subject-Specific Vocabulary
  Historical vocabulary is explicitly identified through knowledge organisers and introduced at the start of each unit. Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary is revisited regularly, displayed in classrooms and used consistently in discussion and written work to support accuracy and confidence.

• Chronology and Timelines
  A whole-school history timeline is used consistently, with each class accessing and referring to it throughout their time at Thomas Harding. This supports pupils in placing new learning within a clear chronological framework and strengthens their understanding of how different periods and events relate to one another.

• Use of Artefacts
  Where possible, pupils explore and investigate artefacts to enhance historical understanding. Handling real objects helps bring the past to life, supporting enquiry, curiosity and deeper engagement with historical evidence.

• Historical Sources and Bias
  Pupils are taught that historical sources reflect particular viewpoints and that bias exists in different forms. They learn to question reliability, consider perspective and account for bias when interpreting evidence.

• Consistent Teaching Sequence
  History lessons follow a clear and consistent sequence. This includes:

  • placing new learning within the big picture and key concepts

  • locating the period studied within a chronological timeline

  • reviewing prior learning

  • introducing and revisiting key vocabulary

  • conducting historical enquiry using a range of sources and artefacts

  • interpreting evidence and communicating understanding

  • evaluating learning and making comparisons with other periods where appropriate

• Learning Environment
  The learning environment is designed to support pupils in knowing more and remembering more. Knowledge walls, timelines and key vocabulary displays are used consistently and referenced regularly during lessons.

• Cultural Capital and Enrichment
  Termly visits, visitors and links with the local community provide pupils with first-hand experiences that enrich learning and deepen historical understanding, helping pupils connect classroom learning with the world around them.

Assessment 

At Thomas Harding Junior School, history is assessed through a range of approaches that focus on developing pupils’ understanding over time. These include class discussions, enquiry-based learning, extended writing and retrieval practice, all of which allow pupils to demonstrate their knowledge and explain their thinking.

A key strategy we use is hexagonal thinking. By placing key concepts on individual hexagons and connecting related ideas, pupils visually show how their learning links together. This approach promotes critical thinking and moves beyond simple recall, as pupils are required to explain and justify their connections. It provides a clear insight into their understanding and enables teachers to identify gaps and support all learners in making progress.

Impact

By the time children leave Thomas Harding, they will have developed:

• a secure knowledge and understanding of people, events and contexts from the historical periods studied

• the ability to think critically about history and communicate their understanding confidently to a range of audiences

• the ability to support, evaluate and challenge their own and others’ views using detailed, accurate historical evidence from a range of sources

• the confidence to reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, forming and refining thoughtful questions and lines of enquiry

• a genuine curiosity about the past, alongside an understanding of how and why history can be interpreted in different ways

• respect for historical evidence and the ability to use it critically to support explanations and judgements

• a willingness to embrace challenge, including undertaking high-quality independent research across a range of historical topics

Through this, pupils leave Thomas Harding as informed, reflective and curious historians, equipped with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the next stage of their education.