Samuel Cody School

History Intent

In History we aim to equip children with the four history skills, Communicate, Apply, Enquire and Contextualise, through topic based lessons in the afternoons.

We want to allow all children to be able to explore the past and to find out key information around what makes where they live, go to school and grow up so exciting.

History stems from factual information, and many of the pupils in our school, on the Autistic spectrum, thrive from facts and definitive information, therefore History is an area where they will be able to succeed and feel a sense of achievement.

We try, where possible, to make History lessons as hands on as possible, through the use of artefacts and ‘real life’ images and resources.

History lessons tend to also be cross-curricular, ensuring that the information the children hear can be used alongside other Curriculum areas to allow them to recognise that we can utilise information we have heard and connect this to other things, e.g. making Tudor Houses in DT and the materials used to make houses and how these have changed for Science when working on The Great Fire of London, discussing floating and sinking connecting with Science when looking at the Titanic.

In Early Years, the children focus on their immediate past and talking about what they have done in the previous days, weeks and months. Talking about members of their family and how they themselves have changed since they were born.

In Key Stage 1 and 2, the focus is on remembering times within their living memory and beginning to look to find out about events further in the past and learn about historical figures and events that have shaped the Country they live in, e.g. Florence Nightingale and Samuel Cody.