At Hillside Primary School, our History curriculum is designed to place the needs and aspirations of our pupils at the heart of their learning. Our bespoke curriculum is ambitious and inclusive which empowers every child to be a historian, fostering a deep understanding of the past to help them "Be the BEST they can be." Our History curriculum intent is underpinned by four key attitudes for learning, which ensure our pupils develop the character and resilience needed to thrive in the modern world:

• Believe

• Engage

• Succeed

• Try

We deliver a high-quality History curriculum that equips pupils with the Substantive Knowledge (facts and concepts) and Disciplinary Knowledge (the tools of a historian) essential for achieving and exceeding the expected standard. Our curriculum is anchored by six ‘Big Ideas’ that build progressively. When pupils encounter a Big Idea, they revisit prior units to make connections, building the mental schema required to understand how the past has shaped British and world history.

BELIEVE: Building Confidence and Belonging

• Culture, Community & Religion (Big Ideas): We foster an environment where children believe in their unique potential by exploring how diverse civilisations lived, believed, and shared traditions.
• Vocabulary for success: We believe that vocabulary is the gateway to high achievement. Pupils move from simple language in EYFS to mastering tier-3 terminology such as 'Civilisation', 'Democracy', 'Hieroglyphics' and 'Legislation'.
• Inclusive Achievement: Through pre-teaching, scaffolding, and SEND adaptations, we ensure all pupils - regardless of background - believe they can access Age Related Expectations (ARE) and beyond.

ENGAGE: Curiosity and Connection

• Inventions & Discoveries (Big Idea): We spark curiosity by tracking how new ideas and technologies changed lives, from the creation of Stone Age tools to the Enigma Machine.

• Historical Enquiry (Disciplinary): Pupils engage as active researchers. They move from asking simple questions about images in Key Stage 1 to evaluating the reliability and validity of primary and secondary sources in Key Stage 2.

• Local Identity: Our curriculum draws heavily on our locality. By studying Roman Glevum or the changing face of Southgate Street, children see themselves within the curriculum and connect Gloucester to the wider national story.

SUCCEED: Precision and Mastery

• Chronological Awareness (Big Idea): Success is rooted in a precise mental timeline.  Pupils move from simple sequencing ('before'/'after') to mastering BC/AD placing events accurately within and across historical periods.

• Cause & Consequence (Disciplinary): Mastery is shown when pupils can explain why events happened and how they impacted later history, such as the Roman withdrawal leading to Anglo-Saxon settlement.

• Substantive Mastery: Pupils succeed when they can compare how different societies were organised, from the Monarchy of 17th-century London to the Democracy of Ancient Greece.

TRY: Resilience and Hard Thinking

• Warfare, Conflict & Invasion (Big Ideas): Pupils embrace 'hard thinking' to understand complex turning points, such as the origins of World War II or the impact of Viking raids.

• Historical Significance (Disciplinary): We cultivate a culture where children are not afraid to 'try' different interpretations, debating why some events are deemed significant and understanding that different evidence can lead to different conclusions.

• Migration & Trade (Big Ideas): Children develop resilience by studying the challenges faced by those who moved across lands, from Stone Age hunter-gatherers to post-war migration in Britain.

Through this vocabulary-rich, sequential curriculum, Hillside pupils do not just 'learn'
history; they think like historians, building the character and cultural capital needed to
thrive in the modern world.