History and Geography
History
St John's Church of England Infant School aims to provide a high-quality history education, which will enable children to develop a coherent knowledge and understanding of the history of Rochester, Britain and the wider world. The childrens’ historical journey throughout Key Stage 1 will be stimulating and enjoyable, ensuring that they develop a genuine love for the subject. Through an engaging curriculum, we aim to inspire childrens’ curiosities about the past. Effective teaching will equip children with historical skills and knowledge, enabling them to ask questions, think critically, weigh evidence, scrutinise arguments, and improve perspective and judgement.
Curriculum Intent
Our young historians begin their journey in the Foundation Stage, where they are provided with experiences which enable them to develop skills of enquiry and critical thinking. By providing the children with the opportunity to discuss changes in their own lives and the lives of others, we set the foundations of chronology. This stimulates children with a curiosity to learn about lives of others beyond their living memory.
As the children progress into Key Stage 1, the foundations developed in the Early Years are built upon. The rich culture of Rochester is injected into our curriculum, which in turn provides children with a sense of identity and an understanding of their own locality. We provide the children with opportunity to develop an understanding of how past events have influenced life today. The children learn about events which are significant both nationally and globally and how the achievements of individuals has had a significant impact on people in the past and the present day. We ask questions about changes which have happened in our lifetime and through field trips and engaging lessons, our children develop a thirst for learning!
Geography
At St John's Church of England Infant School, Geography provides a means of exploring, appreciating and understanding the world in which we live – we are intrepid explorers from the comfort of our classrooms! We aim to inspire in our children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. We build upon the children’s personal geography by developing geographical skills, understanding and knowledge through studying places and themes.
Curriculum Intent
In the Foundation Stage, our youngest explorers embark on an Understanding the World magical mystery tour – the destinations are decided by the interests and experiences of the children. By investigating these personal places, the children are encouraged to share their experiences, observations and knowledge, develop skills of investigation and ask and answer questions, thus awakening a curiosity to want to find out more about the wider world.
The adventure continues in Key Stage 1. In Year 1, the starting point of their Geography journey is our school itself! The children learn about the local area in which they live and we then travel further afield to compare their life in this locality to other regions of the United Kingdom. As meteorologists, we keep a close eye on the weather too! The world tour continues in Year 2, where we travel far and wide across the seven continents of the world, sailing its five oceans to discover hot and cold areas in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles.
