How History Links to Our Big Ideas

Our curriculum is built around six Big Ideas that act as "golden threads," helping all pupils—especially our most vulnerable—make sense of complex historical concepts by building secure knowledge and vocabulary over time.

• 🕊️ Peace & Freedom: This theme helps children explore conflict, cooperation, and how people work towards peace. In Year 4, pupils study the Roman Empire and invasion, while Year 6 explores World War II, examining how the experience of British people differed from those in other parts of Europe.
• ⚖️ Equity & Social Justice: Children learn about fairness, equality, discrimination, and the impact of power. In Year 1, this comes to life through studying civil rights champions like Martin Luther King and Floella Benjamin. In Year 3, children explore how women's rights have changed since the 18th century, and Year 4 investigates the Industrial Revolution, focusing on the local history of Sheffield's "Buffer Girls".
• 🤝 Diversity & Identity: We study different cultures, traditions, and migrations to challenge stereotypes and build pride in identity. This is a central focus in Year 6, where pupils dive into "Journeys: the story of migration to Britain" to understand why people migrated and how they changed British society.
• 🗳️ Participation & Citizenship: Pupils learn how societies work, the role of leadership, and the importance of rules. This is explored through the early democracy and achievements of Ancient Greece in Year 4, as well as the structures of the earliest civilizations like Ancient Egypt in Year 3.
• 🌍 Sustainability & Environment: Children look at how human settlement and behavior impact the world. Throughout our timeline studies—from the Stone Age to the Iron Age in Year 3, to the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Scots settlements in Year 5 and 6—children examine how communities adapted to and changed their physical environments.
• 🍎 Health & Wellbeing: History teaches us about how lifestyle, daily routines, and everyday hardships changed over time. Children look at personal safety, family life, and shifting living conditions when comparing family life since the 1950s in Year 1, or learning what daily life and school were like for Victorian children in Year 2.