History and Geography

History

The aim of history teaching here at Cubbington Church of England Primary School is to stimulate the children’s interest and understanding about the life of people who lived in the past. We teach children a sense of chronology, and through this they develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. Thus, they learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain and, by considering how people lived in the past, they are better able to make their own life choices today. In our school history makes a significant contribution to citizenship education and British Values by teaching about how Britain developed as a democratic society. We teach children to understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today; we also teach them to investigate these past events and, by so doing, to develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem-solving.

The aims of history in our school are:

to foster in children an interest in the past and to develop an understanding that enables them to enjoy all that history has to offer;
to enable children to know about significant events in British history and to appreciate how things have changed over time;
to develop a sense of chronology;
to understand how Britain is part of a wider European culture and to study some aspects of European history;
to have some knowledge and understanding of historical development in the wider world;
to help children understand society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of their cultural heritage;
to develop in children the skills of enquiry, investigation, analysis, evaluation and presentation.
to take advantage of local history to enable children to learn about their immediate environment.

Geography

Geography teaches an understanding of places and environments. Through their work in geography, children learn about their local area, and they compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and in the rest of the world. They learn how to draw and interpret maps, and they develop the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world, and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind.

Our objectives in the teaching of geography are:

to enable children to gain knowledge and understanding of places in the world;
to increase children’s knowledge of other cultures and, in so doing, teach a respect and understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural country;
to allow children to learn graphic skills, including how to use, draw and interpret maps;
to enable children to know and understand environmental problems at a local, regional and global level;
to encourage in children a commitment to sustainable development, and an appreciation of what ‘global citizenship’ means;
to develop in children a variety of other skills, including those of enquiry, problem-solving, ICT, investigation, and that of presenting their conclusions in the most appropriate way
to develop the cross-curricular use of geography in all subjects.