History Lead Teacher in school is Mrs Parlett
History at St Cuthbert's
Inspiring curiosity about the past, understanding the present and shaping the future.
At St Cuthbert's, history helps children understand who they are, where they come from and how the world around them has been shaped by people and events from the past. We want our children to become curious, knowledgeable historians who ask questions, investigate evidence and develop a sense of pride in their local heritage. As a Heritage School, learning about the rich history of Seaham and the wider world is at the heart of our curriculum.
Our Vision
We aim for all children to:
🌟 Develop a love of history and curiosity about the past
🕰️ Understand how events fit together across time
🔎 Ask thoughtful historical questions
📜 Use evidence to investigate and support ideas
🗣️ Talk and write confidently using historical vocabulary
🏠 Take pride in their local heritage and community
Through history, children learn about real people, real events and the choices that have shaped our world today.
What History Looks Like
History at St Cuthbert's is enquiry-led, engaging and memorable.
In lessons, children:
- Ask questions about the past
- Explore artefacts, photographs and historical sources
- Build timelines and chronological understanding
- Compare different periods and civilisations
- Debate ideas and explain their thinking
- Investigate how historians know what happened
Lessons include:
🔁 Retrieval of previous learning
❓ A key enquiry question
🔍 Investigation of evidence
💬 Discussion and historical reasoning
✍️ Opportunities to communicate conclusions
This approach helps children remember more and think more deeply about history over time.
Thinking Like Historians
Throughout their journey, children revisit and develop key historical concepts.
Our History Threshold Concepts
🕰️ Chronology Understanding when events happened and how periods connect.
🔎 Historical Enquiry Asking questions, investigating evidence and drawing conclusions.
📜 Using Sources and Evidence Exploring artefacts, documents, photographs and accounts.
⚡ Cause and Consequence Understanding why events happened and their impact.
🔄 Continuity and Change Identifying what has changed and what has remained the same.
⭐ Historical Significance Understanding why people and events matter.
🧩 Historical Interpretation Recognising that different views of the past exist.
These concepts progress from simple observations in Key Stage 1 to deeper analysis and critical thinking by Year 6.
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum follows the National Curriculum and is carefully sequenced to build knowledge and historical understanding over time.
EYFS
- My Past: Events in Our Lives
- Old and New in Our Area
- How Have Toys Changed?
Key Stage 1
Year 1
- How Has Childhood Changed?
- Why Was Mary Anning Important?
- How Has Travel and Transport Changed?
Year 2
- Remembrance
- Queens and Their Eras
- Rosa Parks and Emily Davison: Changemakers
Lower Key Stage 2
Year 3
- Stone Age to Iron Age
- Ancient Egypt
Year 4
- Ancient Greece
- Romans and Their Impact on Britain and Our Local Area
Upper Key Stage 2
Year 5
- Anglo-Saxons
- Vikings
- Why Did Seaham Become a Town?
Year 6
- Crime and Punishment Through Time
- The Maya Civilisation
Learning is carefully planned so that children revisit important ideas and make connections between different historical periods.
Supporting Every Child
We believe every child can succeed in history.
Teachers support learning by:
- Breaking learning into manageable steps
- Using timelines, visuals and artefacts
- Explicitly teaching key vocabulary
- Modelling historical thinking
- Adapting activities to meet individual needs
- Using discussion and questioning to develop understanding
This ensures all pupils, including those with SEND, can access, enjoy and achieve in history.
How We Support Progress
Teachers regularly check understanding through:
- Discussion and questioning
- Retrieval activities
- Source analysis
- Written work and presentations
- End of unit assessments
This helps teachers identify misconceptions, fill knowledge gaps and ensure all children make strong progress as historians.
Beyond the Classroom
History is brought to life through first-hand experiences.
Children will experience:
🏛️ Educational visits
📦 Historical artefact loan boxes
🎤 Visitors and workshops
🏘️ Local history enquiries
⛪ Exploring the heritage of Seaham and County Durham
📚 High-quality stories, novels and class texts linked to historical learning, helping children develop empathy, deepen their understanding of different periods and bring the past to life through literature.
These experiences help children make meaningful connections between classroom learning and the world around them.
How You Can Help at Home
You do not need to be a historian to support your child.
🏡 Talk About Family History
- Look through old photographs.
- Share stories from your childhood.
- Compare life today with life in the past.
📚 Read Together
- Historical fiction can bring periods of history to life.
- Discuss the people, events and settings in books.
🏰 Visit Historical Places
Nearby places include:
- Seaham Heritage Centre
- Durham Cathedral
- Beamish Museum
- Durham Castle
- National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool
❓ Encourage Questions
Ask:
- What do you think life was like then?
- What has changed?
- What has stayed the same?
- Why was this person important?
Talking and questioning are some of the best ways to develop historical thinking.
Our Aim
We want every child to leave St Cuthbert's with a secure understanding of British, local and world history, a curiosity about the past and the confidence to think critically about the world around them.
By the end of Year 6, our children are knowledgeable, reflective and confident historians who understand how the past continues to shape the present.