History

"...think about what you can control and solve the problem you can solve with wisdom you have gained from both your victories and your defeats in the past."

-David Mahoney

Problem solving is the key to finding out about the past.

At St Austin's it is our aim to instill a love of history in all children.

We intend our History curriculum to inspire curiosity and fascination about the past in Britain and the wider world, whilst developing the children's historical thinking and chronological understanding.

We want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of History, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We believe that a well-rounded history curriculum and high-quality lessons inspire children to want to know more about the past and to think and act as historians.

The history curriculum at St Austin's is carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning and that the school’s approaches are informed by current pedagogy. 

What the children say...

"I loved being an Archaeologist and deciding whether artefacts were from the past or from now." - Year 1 

"I really enjoy doing History Mysteries. I like trying to work out who the person is and why they are important." - Year 2

"I am really enjoying learning about Ancient Egypt, we have looked at the hierarchy they had." -Year 4

Did you know?

World War 1 began on July 28, 1914. The conflict lasted four years, three months and 14 days, ending on November 11, 1918. This is why on November 11th we have Remembrance day. The war ended at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month. We wear a poppy as on Flanders field after the war, poppies grew.

During the Victorian era, new inventions, like the telephone, motorcar, typewriter, bicycle and moving film totally changed the way that people lived, worked and travelled.

Most Ancient Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs (rulers of Ancient Egypt) and their families. To date, over 130 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt.

Did you know that the Ancient Greeks invented the theatre? They loved watching plays, and most cities had a theatre – some big enough to hold 15,000 people! Only men and boys were allowed to be actors, and they wore masks, which showed the audience whether their character was happy or sad. Some of the masks had two sides, so the actor could turn them around to change the mood for each scene.

Our History Mystery examples...

At St. Austin's, our History Mystery aspect adds a fun and engaging element to our history lessons. This innovative approach encourages children to cultivate their inquisitiveness by investigating historical sources and uncovering their meanings or implications. Our children love the challenge of deciphering the significance of these sources and understanding why they are central to their History Mystery activity within the lesson.