Humanities

Statement of Intent - History

At Parkside School we aim to foster pupils’ curiosity about the past as they learn about the lives of people and communities in the past, both in Britain and the wider world. We want children to understand how history, relationships, cultures, religions and diverse societies from the past have shaped the present. We aim to develop historical skills such as asking perceptive questions, analysing evidence from primary and secondary sources, thinking critically and creating arguments for and against and debating ideas. Our curriculum delivery is designed to promote a sense of chronology so that children develop a sense of history and when key events took place.

Aims

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological
  narrative, 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.

Statement of Intent - Geography

We are guided by our school motto – ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’. We aim to give children opportunities to instil a love of geographical learning. We aim to prepare children for life in the modern world by fostering in them attitudes and qualities which will enable them to become confident, caring, respectful and responsible citizens.  

One of our curriculum drivers here at Parkside is Knowledge and Understanding of the World, through which we aim to inspire children’s natural curiosity for learning about the diverse world we live in. Pupils are encouraged to celebrate diversity. Our learning also aims to promote children’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities as members of a global community, which encapsulates another one of our key drivers, Caring for Others and the Environment. 

Geography Vision 

“The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.” 

–President Barack Obama 

 We aim to ensure that our pupils understand the relationship between the Earth and its people and are provided a means of exploring, appreciating and understanding the modern world in which they live, how it has evolved and the challenges it faces. 

Aims

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both
  terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and
  how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical
  features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial
  variation and change over time
• are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
  • collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through
    experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical
    processes
  • interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams,
    globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
  • communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through
    maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Have a look at the 'What are we learning?' section on each year group's page to see what they are covering in Geography and History.