Click here to view the 2014 Jersey Curriculum for History. For an overview and explanation please view the Parents' Guide to the 2014 Jersey Curriculum on our main curriculum page.
History builds on children’s natural curiosity about the world around them and provide a means of exploring, appreciating and understanding the world that we live in and how it has changed over time.
The teaching and learning of History enables children to develop a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events, people and places. Our curriculum supports children to understand key historical points in time for Jersey, and other parts of the word, and allows children to consider how decisions made in the past influence the present day. We aim to ensure that children are able to think critically when examining evidence and help them to evaluate the reliability of sources which in turn will influence their own opinions, which they can begin to back up with historical evidence.
"We need to learn about history because one day we will be a part of history!" Chloe, Year 5
Jersey History Curriculum Aims:
know and understand the history of the Island, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
What does History look like at Grouville?
Key Stage 1
Children…
develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time
know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods
use a wide vocabulary of everyday historical terms. 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
understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.
Throughout Key Stage 1, children are taught about:
changes within living memory
events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally
the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements
significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
Key Stage 2
Children…
continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of local Jersey, British and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study
note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms
regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance
construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information
understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the local Jersey, British and world history, outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
Throughout Key Stage 2, children are taught about:
Changes in Prehistoric Britain
Ancient Civilisations
Invaders and Settlers
A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
Bringing Learning to Life Teachers promote the children's curiosity through engaging lessons, local visits and visitors, themed days and make learning visible through the use of artefacts, resources and other 'hooks' to bring the learning to life. Learning, within this integrated context, is more meaningful than skills taught in isolation.
Useful Learning Links:
Click on a link to access these useful websites to support History learning at home: