History Intent

At Whitechapel Primary School, our history curriculum aims to inspire a lifelong curiosity about the past and an appreciation of how human experiences have shaped the world we live in today. Our intent is to build pupils’ historical knowledge and cultural understanding progressively, enabling them to make sense of change, continuity, cause and consequence, and significance across time.

In Key Stage 1, our bespoke curriculum introduces pupils to history through meaningful, local and personal contexts. Children begin by exploring their own pasts and the lives of people in living memory, gradually expanding to significant national and global events and figures. This foundation develops a secure sense of chronology, enquiry skills, and a vocabulary of time and change.

In Key Stage 2, we implement the Opening Worlds programme, which provides a rich, rigorous, and knowledge-led framework. Through well-sequenced units, pupils gain a deep understanding of British, European, and world history. The programme explicitly teaches the language and concepts that enable all children including those with SEND to access complex ideas and engage with the discipline of history. It ensures that pupils develop secure chronological frameworks and make meaningful connections between periods, themes, and cultures.

By the end of primary school, pupils will:

• Know and understand the broad chronological narrative of British and world history.
• Recognise how evidence is used to make historical claims.
• Develop disciplinary thinking skills, such as asking perceptive questions, evaluating sources, and constructing balanced arguments.
• See themselves as historians—curious, critical, and reflective learners.

History Implementation

Key Stage 1 – Bespoke Curriculum

In Key Stage 1, history is taught through carefully chosen topics that connect to children’s lived experiences and the local context, helping them relate new learning to what they already know and understand. Learning is sequenced to build a secure sense of chronology, beginning with personal history before moving to local, national, and global events. Lessons place strong emphasis on storytelling, the use of artefacts, oral history, and first-hand experiences such as visits, role-play, and drama to bring the past to life. Throughout, progressive vocabulary teaching ensures that pupils develop confidence in using time-related and historical language to discuss and describe events, people, and changes over time.

Key Stage 2 – Opening Worlds Programme

In Key Stage 2, the History curriculum follows a coherently sequenced, knowledge-rich programme developed by Christine Counsell and colleagues. Each unit is carefully designed to build both substantive knowledge (the story of the past) and disciplinary knowledge, which focuses on how we know about the past.  Structured vocabulary instruction is embedded throughout to ensure equitable access for all learners, enabling every pupil to engage with complex ideas and language. Key concepts and knowledge are revisited and interlinked across topics, strengthening retention and deepening understanding over time. High-quality texts, visual sources, and rich narratives are central to teaching, supporting pupils’ comprehension and engagement with historical content. Assessment focuses on pupils’ ability to use and apply historical knowledge and vocabulary accurately, alongside their understanding of key disciplinary concepts and approaches.

History Impact

Through our History curriculum, pupils at Whitechapel Primary School develop:

• A strong, connected body of historical knowledge across different times, places, and cultures.
• A secure sense of chronology and understanding of how events and developments influence one another.
• The ability to think critically about the past, drawing on evidence and reasoning to reach conclusions.
• Confidence in using subject-specific vocabulary to discuss and write about historical ideas.
• A deep appreciation of diversity, identity, and the shared narratives that shape communities.

By the end of Key Stage 2, our pupils leave as curious, informed, and articulate young historians, ready to build on their knowledge at secondary school and to engage thoughtfully with the wider world.