history
What our children say about History
EYFS- Miles: ‘I liked looking at the hosptial in the past and Florence Nightinagle helping people. They didn't look very nice’
Year 1- Harrison and Elsie: ‘I like leanring about people in the war. I loved dressing up as an evacuee and looking at the toys from the past. It's fun to look at people in the past and compare to now.
Year 2- Lexie and Bear ‘I loved leanring about the Great Fire of London, we looked at where the fire took place. '
Our Vision for History
Our vision for History is to nurture independent historians by inspiring curiosity and a lifelong interest in the past by providing rich, engaging opportunities that draw on children's real-life experiences and local context. Children will develop a range of historical skills by being supported, valued and have every opportunity to succeed. Our golden thread of nurture and inclusion ensures that barriers are removed to support a safe and encouraging environment to encourage children to be curious about the past and to be critical thinkers. By learning about the past, inclusing local history, gives children an understanding of the world they live in.
How we teach History
Our History curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. The central aim of history teaching is to build curiosity, chronological awareness, and a sense of identity and place. At this age, children learn best through story, play, talk, and experiential learning. History becomes meaningful when it connects to their own lives, their community, and the physical environment around them.
Children are supported by narrative-based learning using multicultural stories of real people, local events, and familiar places. Children are given the opportunity to handle artefacts, explore local landmarks, and use visual prompts. Our enquiry-based learning approach encourages children to ask questions, make observations, and draw simple conclusions.
We also enrich opur History curriculum through real-life experiences. Children learn about local history, explore different artefacts and enjoy visits from practitioners who share their skills and inspire! Where possible we take children to historical landmarks so that they can see the impact ofhistory all around them.
What children learn and achieve
We teach History through a highly inclusive, language‑rich and experience‑based approach that recognises the diverse needs of our infant learners. Our pedagogy ensures that all children—regardless of their starting points in speech, language, communication, social development or life experience—can access and enjoy learning about the past.
We build historical understanding through storytelling, talk, play, and meaningful local connections, ensuring that History feels relevant, concrete and accessible.
Through rich experiences, inspiring visitors, and opportunities to learn about historians from our local community and beyond, children build a wider understanding of the world and the role art plays within it. By the time they leave our infant school, children have a strong foundation of skills, a love of creativity, and the confidence to continue exploring History as they move into Key Stage 2 and beyond.
Enrichment
A good historian” doesn’t look like someone memorising dates—it’s a child who is curious about the past, can talk about it, and begins to make simple connections. It’s much more about habits of thinking than formal knowledge.
Key moments in our year include Harvest and Remembrance, which offer powerful opportunities for children to explore historical traditions and shared community values. During Harvest, children learn about the long‑standing customs of gathering, giving and supporting others, helping them appreciate how these practices have shaped communities over time. Our Remembrance activities are approached with sensitivity, using stories, symbols and simple acts of reflection to help children understand themes of peace, kindness and gratitude.
Alongside these events, we offer a wide range of History‑rich enrichment activities such as themed days, local walks, artefact handling, storytelling workshops and visits from community members. These experiences bring the past to life, deepen children’s understanding of their local heritage and broaden their awareness of how people lived in different times.
Through these enriching opportunities, we aim to inspire curiosity, build cultural understanding and create memorable learning moments that support every child’s historical journey.
History Subject progression at Doddinghurst Infant School
History Vocabulary progression at Doddinghurst Infant School
MRS LAURA SALMON
History Subject Lead
"Hi Ms Laura Salmon, I love learning about the historical world around me, talking about the past compared to today. I especially love investigating artefacts that we no longer use and comparing them to now."
