Geography & History at Eliot Bank

Children are taught through an enquiry-based approach to apply the skills they have learned to develop an understanding of the world around them as they study different places and times. They use mind maps and individual Learning Journey Portfolios to record their learning and they also make class Learning Journal to demonstrate the activities that they have undertaken in Geography and History lessons.

Both Geography and History subjects are taught as topics and are linked to other curriculum areas. As well as the knowledge that the children gain of the place or time that they are studying, the also develop their skills in each area. In History, these skills include: chronological understanding, historical enquiry and historical interpretation. In Geography, these skills include: Location and mapping skills, human and physical features and field work.

We make excellent use of our local environment and find opportunities for children to experience local visits across all year groups, whilst continuing to be guided by the latest government guidance on ensuring that protective measures are in place to proceed safely with visits.

At Eliot Bank our curriculum is developed to represent a diverse range of individuals and histories. We ensure that the curriculum provides experiences that are rooted in a local context, so that pupils have first-hand experiences and knowledge of their locality. We are committed to making the learning personally meaningful to the children we teach.  We regularly review the curriculum to make sure that it is both creative and relevant to our children. The children are involved in making decisions about how they learn about a topic and how they then present that learning.

Children develop their History and Geography skills through three main topics across each year. Each topic is accompanied by an enquiry question which guides the learning and is answered by pupils drawing together all their learning at the end of the term.  Use the links below to find out more about the science topics for each year group.

Year 1

Toys and Inventors Are the toys of today better than the toys of the past? Why / why not?
Homes and Architects  How was your grandparents childhood home different to yours?
Food Around the World  Why do different fruit and vegetables grow in different places around the world?

Year 2

The Great Fire of London and Famous People Why wouldn’t the Great Fire of London happen again?
India Would you rather live in the capital city of India or the capital city of England?
Seasides and Famous Explorers (pirates) Who likes to be beside the seaside?

Year 3

Our Local Area in WWII  The experience of a WWII evacuee - Do I have to go?
Ancient Egypt Finders Keepers?
Amazon Rainforest  Why should we care?

Year 4

Celts and Roman  What did the Romans do for us?
Greece What really is so great about the Greeks?
Caribbean The Caribbean: Is it really paradise?

Year 5

Anglo Saxons and Vikings How did the Anglo Saxons and Vikings impact Britain?
Maya What was so marvelous about the Maya?
Rivers, Coasts and Mountains Where does the river flow?

Year 6

The changing role of the monarchy, Henry VIII / Elizabeth II Who should have the power and why?
Stone and Iron Age What were the changes from the Stone Age to the Iron Age?
Natural disasters Quake, rattle and roll: could it happen here?

Sarah Bridgman, Humanities Team Leader

Year Group Standards & Expectations

Throughout the year, your child’s attainment will be judged against the criteria set out in the year group-equivalent Standard and Expectations. This on-going judgement will identify what children have achieved and what they need to do next.  Use the link below to access the year group expectations for Geography and History.

Geography Expectations 

History Expectations