All pupils at St Peter’s access a broad, balanced and enriching history and geography curriculum. Our curriculum is exciting, purposeful and packed full of interesting knowledge. We stimulate the children’s interest, curiosity and understanding about history and geography through key questions and wherever possible we enrich the curriculum with visits and visitors.
In history we teach pupils a sense of chronology and through this children develop a sense of identity and an awareness of the challenges of their time. Teaching of the progressive knowledge and skills, equips children to ask questions, think critically, consider evidence and develop perspective and judgement.
History teaching will help pupils to understand the complexity of their lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and the relationship between different groups. This learning knowledge will facilitate the critical, empathic thinking of lifelong learning.
We explored artefacts linked to World War II on our trip to the museum at Cannock Chase. We learnt about evacuation, rationing and air raids. We took part in role play, thinking about what it would be like to be evacuated and what our experiences might be like with our host families.
Class 3 are learning about World War II. We welcomed Mr Robins into school to talk to us. He told us all about Alton during the war. We learnt about the space under the Malt House where the children from school went if there was an air raid and that the army used Alton Towers as a training ground! We also enjoyed trying on some caps and jackets that soldiers wore. We learnt that no bombs fell on Alton but some did drop on surrounding countryside, this was normally if pilots were on their way back from Liverpool and needed to lose the weight of the bomb to help them fly quickly.
Class 3 designed and made World War 2 air raid shelters. These were shelters that were designed to be dug into people’s gardens to protect families from air raids. They were called Anderson shelters after Sir John Anderson, the lord privy seal in charge of air raid precautions in 1938, and were made from corrugated steel or iron panels that formed a semi-circular shape.
As part of our topic on World War II Class 3 planted and grew potatoes, just like lots of people in the war grew their own food. We were excited to dig them up and find lots of muddy potatoes. We are looking forward to eating them!
Class 3 had the opportunity to travel back in time to meet Queen Elizabeth I. They learnt all about her life and her time as Queen.
In geography children learn about their immediate locality and the wider world they live in. They are encouraged to compare and contrast the different places on our planet. Geography teaching helps pupils to understand the relationship between human and physical geography and develop an understanding of how they can improve the world we live in.
To conclude each unit we have an end-point where children can show off what they have learned. It might be a presentation to parents, a museum with annotated artefacts and information the children have created or a debate.
We are ambitious for our children.
Click here to see our ambitious statements.
We have adapted the National Curriculum history and geography Programme of Study for the basis of our teaching.
Nothing is left to chance in the curriculum. Our key knowledge documents show the facts we want our children to know and remember.
Click here to see our history and geography key knowledge documents.
Click here to see our history and geography progression documents
