"Study the past, if you would define the future." - Confucius

Here at Stoke Park Infant School we believe that to build our future we must learn about the past. Learning about history is how we grow into adaptable and curious citizens of the world. We develop an understanding of what has happened, but more importantly, why this was.

We investigate significant events and people to ask: "What is their influence on life today?" 

 Our Reception classes follow the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Within that, they experience history knowledge through the Understanding the World area of learning. They approach history from the individual, unique child and discuss the very recent past by using language like ‘yesterday’ and ‘last week’. They then move on to talking about themselves as babies by comparing similarities and differences of themselves now. When we read "The Tiger That Came to Tea", the children will start to make comparisons of how life in the home has changed over the last 50 years. Towards the end of the year the children will be introduced to the skills needed in their Year 1 learning. They look at some significant and famous pirates which is often very exciting! Alongside this adult directed learning, the children are encouraged to follow their interests through play. There are opportunities in the learning environment for them to practice their disciplinary knowledge and to investigate any curiosities they may have. 

In Key Stage One we teach the National Curriculum for History this is supported by units created by the Hampshire History Advisors. We feel it is extremely important to spread our History learning across the year so we are always practicing and remembering our prior learning. Throughout the year we will investigate: Changes within Living Memory, Nationally Significant Events beyond Living Memory and the Lives of Significant Individuals who have Contributed to National Achievements. To ensure we deliver this curriculum to the highest standard we work closely with Hampshire School Services and follow a Six Step Enquiry process. We aim to provide firsthand experiences that not only spark curiosity and engagement, but allow our children to fall in love with History.

In Year 1 our students reflect on their learning from Reception by looking at: "How have toys changed from when mummy/grandma was a little girl?" They explore the chronology of toys and reasons for changes and continuity that have taken place over this period of time. We look at real 'old' and 'new' toys, and invite relatives in to tell us about their time playing with toys when they were younger. In the spring term they turn their attention to the lives and times of significant Queen's of Britain's past. They have an interactive day of experiencing a costume character Queen visiting our school, followed by workshops to develop disciplinary knowledge such as questioning characteristic features, causes and consequences and the significance of these women on today's society. The children end the school year by taking part in a study of how Stoke Park Infant School has changed from its original Victorian site, through to the opening of our current building in 1989, to our school at present day. We take a trip to the old school site and try to answer questions like "What was school like for children in 1958?"

Finally, in Year 2 the children begin to embed their disciplinary knowledge by taking the driving seat in their historical inquiries. They build upon their local school study completed in Year 1 and look at the significance of our wider locality. With some valuable help from the resources of our Sea City Museum in Southampton, the children explore the sinking of the Titanic. They look at artefacts from the time, and throughout their inquiry will be provided with opportunities to develop reasoning skills by taking part in various class debates to answer "Why did the Titanic sink?". Further along in the year the children look at Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale and compare the significance in their contribution to nursing and healthcare. In preparation for their Junior School learning, the children are introduced to evaluating sources and thinking about the difference in interpretations of the past. The children end their infant history learning journey by learning about the Great Fire of London, which they may remember from Year R. This unit allows them to tie up all of their knowledge developed throughout their time with us as they debate cause and consequence using substantive knowledge about characteristic features of the time. 

We hope that when our children leave us we have successfully ignited a curiosity for historical inquiry through hands on and collaborative learning!