History at Westwood

Where is the Dream, Believe, Achieve?

Through our History curriculum children learn about significant individuals throughout time who all at some point dared to dream knowing no boundaries. The demographic of Westwood is a predominantly White British area with high levels of deprivation. Each of the individuals chosen have been carefully selected to reflect modern Britain and the diverse wider world. For instance, Emily Davison, a women’s rights advocate; Alan Turing, a member of the LGBTQ+ community; to Rosa Parks, who stood up for racial equality. Each of these significant individuals had drive and determination therefore demonstrating to the children that change is possible and this can shape the world we live in for the better. This directly links to the Westwood Parliament and the importance across the school that every child has a voice and is valued and respected.

When choosing events beyond living memory in Key Stage 1 the limited experiences our children encounter outside of the school day was a key factor in our decision making. The Great Fire of London was chosen to study to allow children the opportunity to learn about our Capital City and how this event changed it. Learning about London is also linked to their Geography curriculum within the same adventure allowing children to be fully emersed in what they are learning about and ensure memorable learning. Within the Up, Up and Away adventure the Wright Brothers and the first flight drives the adventure. This allows our children to see that the world goes beyond Middleton. It is important that our children understand that the world is their oyster and thanks to the Wright Brothers this is now possible.

Our local history curriculum has been tailored to include significant people and events that occurred within Middleton, Leeds and Yorkshire. This ensures the children are aware of their heritage and the impact that this has had on modern Britain. It highlights how their lives and community has been shaped because of past events, for instance Michael Sadler started mill reforms for children which eventually led to children attending school rather than work. This instills in our children a sense of pride regarding their local community and it fosters a belief that they can too achieve great things.

Within our History Curriculum there are six key threads which run throughout. Each of these threads support the core values of the school and The British Values.

• Rulers (democracy and rule of law)
• significant people (individual liberty, mutual respect tolerance, democracy, dream, believe and achieve)
• conflict (tolerance, democracy and mutual respect)
• religion (mutual respect, tolerance, believe)
• Entertainment (Achievement)
• Invention (dream, believe, achieve)

The threads are important aspect of society and culture and are still relevant in Modern Britain now and in the future. E.g.rulers- new King, elections, significant people- current figures achieving greatness such as first black woman in space- Mae Carol Jameison, conflict- war in Ukraine, entertainment-  new sports in Olympics 2024 (breakdance), invention- technology constantly changing- cars drive themselves, religion- debates still occur and conflict around this still occurs, we are a predominantly Christian country, and the coronation of King Charles III was a religious ceremony.

Within Key Stage 1 changes within living memory are studied with a focus on toys linking to the entertainment thread.  Within this area of learning children explore the importance of play and are given the opportunity to compare and share their experiences with their family. Within a society where technology dominates children’s entertainment, having a focus on toys reminds our children of the enjoyment of interacting with each other and continues to develop the importance of communicating, sharing, winning and losing and mutual respect and tolerance.

In Lower Key Stage 2 Ancient Egyptians has been chosen as a time period to be studied due to the significant achievements of the civilization. For instance: farming, irrigation, the pyramids and hieroglyphics. This builds upon prior knowledge of the Stone Age to Iron Age and highlights the significant changes and achievements which happened parallel to each other. The other ancient civilization chosen to study is the Mayan period. Children learn about modern South America within a Geography driven adventure which supports the children’s learning and again allows them to be fully emersed within an adventure.

The Tudors and World War II time periods have been chosen as events beyond 1066 as the threads are interwoven throughout these time periods. They are also turning points in history that have shaped modern Britain such as the establishment of the Church of England, divorce and global conflict, all of which are still relevant in Modern Britain.

To enhance our curriculum and ensure memorable learning experiences take place which we know helps our children retain knowledge and apply their skills and develop their understanding, learning beyond the classroom is a key part of our curriculum offer. This includes visits to Middleton Railway, Eden Camp, Kirkstall Abbey Museum, The Leeds Discover Centre and many more.