"Learning together we can reach for the stars"
History
​History at Race Leys
Reception
In Reception, History is covered through the Early Learning Goal called Understanding of the World.
In Reception, we love to look at how we have changed! We also learn about changes in time by looking at days of the week, months of the year and the different seasons. We also learn about different celebrations.
Key Stage One
In Key Stage One, History is covered through the History National Curriculum.
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Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
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Pupils should know where people and events they study fit within a chronological framework.
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They should identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
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They should use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms.
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They should ask and answer questions, choosing and using parts of stories and other sources to show that they know and understand key features of events.
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They should understand some of the ways in which they find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
In Year 1, children explore how life has changed within living memory, focusing on toys and how they differ from those in the past. They learn to recognise and sequence events in their own lives and understand how people and objects can tell us about history.
Through topics such as Remembrance Day, The Great Fire of London, and significant individuals like Samuel Pepys and Beatrix Potter, pupils begin to understand why we remember and celebrate significant events and people.
They develop early historical enquiry skills by using artefacts, pictures, and stories to ask and answer questions about the past and start to distinguish between fact and fiction in historical accounts. Year 1 enjoy creating a toy museum for parents to visit and dressing up like it's 1666 to role play the Great Fire of London with the Freshwater Theatre company.
In Year 2, children explore significant people and events from history to develop a deeper understanding of the past. They learn about significant people such as Christopher Columbus, Felicity Aston, Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole, and Edith Cavell, comparing their lives, achievements, and the times they lived in.
Children investigate important historical events like the Gunpowder Plot and Remembrance Day, sequencing key events on timelines and understanding their causes and effects.
Through local history studies, such as exploring how Bedworth and our school have changed over time, pupils use a range of sources to research, compare, and interpret the past—building key skills in enquiry, chronology, and historical understanding.
Year 2 enjoy a visit from Florence Nightingale. In this workshop, the children go on an engaging journey through her life, act out key moments and explore her inspiring story first hand.