At New York Primary School we provide children with a broad and rich curriculum which gives children an insight into times past. We cover a range of topics focussing on local, British and global history.

We have recently been awarded with Champion Heritage School status from Historic England, only the second school in the whole of the North East. We are passionate about our local area and value the importance of our local history and heritage.

Our curriculum is broken into three umbrella strands:

• Significant people and events and their role in shaping modern day Britain
• Settlers, invaders and explorers
• Local and global comparisons

Within each of those umbrella topics, each year group will complete an in-depth study of a time period from the past. We make links and comparisons between topics taught in previous year groups and with modern history. We focus on four key aspects for comparison purposes. This supports pupil understanding of chronology. These aspects include housing, jobs, role in society and achievements and impacts of each time period. Our children are taught the curriculum to develop skills which enable them to make mature comparisons and judgements based on facts and prior knowledge.

Our curriculum offers an insight into key points in history across the world through a topic approach which aims to support learning by means of artifacts, visits, archaeological evidence, visitors, children making their own deductions and investigations. Children are taught a range of skills which are built upon and developed each year. These skills include:

• Chronological understanding
• Historical enquiry
• Interpreting history
• Continuity and change
• Causes and consequences

Lessons take place weekly, in alternating terms with geography. In a non-taught history half term, we have weekly history meetings where we continue to develop and recap previously taught knowledge and skills. History meetings consolidate skills and learning and provide frequent opportunities to further practise skills.

At New York Primary School we value the diverse needs of all learners and strive to promote equality of all. We follow a growth mind-set approach and celebrate our mistakes. We ensure we provide children with an inclusive curriculum which promotes and celebrates all skills, should they be gained in or outside of school and across all areas of the curriculum.