Brockmoor Primary School: History Curriculum

A Curriculum That Develops Knowledgeable, Analytical, and Historically Literate Citizens

At Brockmoor Primary School, we believe that history is the study of human experience and progress—it allows pupils to understand the past, evaluate the present, and shape the future.

Our CUSP (Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership) History Curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils:

📜 Develop substantive knowledge – Understanding key historical events, figures, civilisations, and concepts.
🧠 Think critically as historians – Engaging with disciplinary knowledge such as chronology, cause and consequence, change and continuity, and historical significance.
🔄 Master a structured, cumulative learning journey – Revisiting and building upon key themes and concepts over time.
📖 Use historical enquiry to question, analyse, and interpret sources – Making connections between the past and the world they live in today.
🌍 Understand the diversity of human experience – Exploring local, national, and global history through multiple perspectives.

Our ambition is that every child leaves Brockmoor as a confident, analytical thinker with a broad, coherent understanding of history and its impact on the modern world.

As part of our commitment to high-quality history education, we are currently working towards achieving the History Quality Mark, ensuring that our curriculum is rigorous, engaging, and nationally recognised for excellence.

A Knowledge-Rich, Concept-Driven History Curriculum

The CUSP History Curriculum ensures that pupils develop a deep, structured understanding of history through:

✅ Chronological Understanding – Placing events, civilisations, and significant figures within a structured timeline.
✅ Historical Enquiry – Using sources and evidence to ask and answer questions about the past.
✅ Thematic Connections – Exploring concepts such as civilisation, power, democracy, conflict, invasion, and knowledge across different historical periods.
✅ Explicit Vocabulary Instruction – Teaching tiered historical vocabulary to enable pupils to discuss and write about history with precision.
✅ Cumulative End Goals – Ensuring that pupils develop a coherent and connected understanding of the past from EYFS to Year 6.

This approach ensures that history is not just a collection of facts but a structured, meaningful discipline that builds deep understanding over time.

History in the Early Years: Building the Foundations of Historical Thinking

In EYFS, history is embedded within "Understanding the World," where children begin to:

📅 Develop Chronological Awareness – Understanding past, present, and future through personal experiences (e.g., family history, birthdays, seasonal changes).
📖 Engage with Stories and Historical Figures – Learning about significant people, places, and events through structured storytime.
🏡 Recognise Changes Over Time – Exploring how homes, transport, and technology have evolved.
🗣 Use Early Historical Vocabulary – Learning words related to time, change, and past events.

These early foundations ensure children enter Key Stage 1 with a strong awareness of historical concepts.

The Structure of a CUSP History Lesson

Each history lesson follows a structured, evidence-based model, ensuring that pupils engage deeply with historical knowledge and enquiry skills.

Lesson Phases

1️⃣ Connect – Activating prior knowledge and linking new learning to existing schema.
2️⃣ Explain – Explicitly teaching historical vocabulary, concepts, and context.
3️⃣ Example – Providing modelled examples of historical thinking, analysis, and writing.
4️⃣ Attempt – Pupils engage in structured tasks that develop historical skills and understanding.
5️⃣ Apply – Independent historical enquiry, writing, or discussion.
6️⃣ Challenge – Encouraging deeper thinking through evaluative and comparative tasks.

This ensures that pupils systematically develop historical knowledge, skills, and analytical abilities.

CUSP History: Core Strands of Learning

The CUSP History Curriculum is built around six key historical concepts that pupils revisit and deepen across year groups:

1. Chronology: Understanding the Passage of Time

📜 Developing a mental timeline of British, European, and world history.
📅 Using time-related vocabulary: before, after, during, century, BC, AD.
🔄 Making connections across different periods, events, and civilisations.

2. Cause and Consequence: Understanding Why Events Happen

⚖️ Exploring the reasons behind key events (e.g., What led to the Great Fire of London?).
🔍 Analysing the effects of historical changes on society and culture.

3. Change and Continuity: Identifying Patterns Over Time

🔄 Recognising how societies, governments, and economies have evolved.
🏛 Comparing past and present (e.g., How did Roman Britain influence modern Britain?).

4. Similarity and Difference: Exploring Diverse Perspectives

🌍 Understanding different experiences based on class, gender, culture, and geography.
👑 Comparing the lives of different rulers, civilisations, and historical figures.

5. Historical Enquiry: Investigating the Past

📖 Analysing sources (artefacts, documents, paintings, photographs) to develop historical arguments.
🗣 Evaluating reliability, bias, and historical interpretations.

6. Historical Significance: Understanding What Makes History Important

⭐ Studying key figures (e.g., Rosa Parks, Florence Nightingale, Alexander the Great) and their impact.
🏆 Evaluating which events had the most lasting impact on society.

This thematic approach ensures that pupils develop deep, interconnected knowledge across historical periods.

Local History: Exploring the Changes in Our Community

Year 2: How Has Our Local Area Changed Over Time?

Pupils explore:
🏡 Changes within living memory – How homes, transport, and shops have evolved in our local area.
🏭 Significant historical events and people in our locality – Understanding how key moments shaped our town.
🔍 Using local sources and maps – Investigating how Brockmoor’s high street, industries, and schools have changed.

Year 6: The Impact of World War II on Our Local Area

Pupils explore:
✈️ The role of our community in the war effort – How local factories, airfields, and individuals contributed.
🛠 How wartime changed our town – Evacuation, rationing, and rebuilding after bombings.
🎖 Memorials and Remembrance – Exploring local war memorials and the stories of those who served.

This localised approach ensures that history is meaningful, relevant, and personal to our pupils.

The Impact: What Our History Curriculum Achieves

By the time pupils leave Brockmoor Primary, they are:

🎓 Historically literate – Able to discuss and analyse history confidently.
📜 Knowledgeable about British and world history – With a broad, coherent understanding of key events.
🗣 Critical thinkers – Asking and answering complex historical questions.
🌍 Engaged, active citizens – Understanding history’s relevance to the world today.
🚀 Prepared for the future – With a strong foundation for KS3 history and beyond.

Further Information

For more details, including:
📌 CUSP History Knowledge Documents
📌 Curriculum Overviews
📌 Home Learning and Enrichment Activities

Please contact our Curriculum Lead, Tom Amphlett, at info@brockmoor.dudley.sch.uk. 🚀