OAKDALE
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Learning for Life
Humanities Policy
Policy reviewed and updated summer 2014 by Julie Sutherland.
Review recommended for autumn 2016.
Policy Statement for Humanities
Philosophy
‘’How do you know who you are unless you know where you’ve come from? How can you
tell what’s going to happen, unless you know what’s happened before? History isn’t just
about the past. It’s about why we are who we are-and about what’s next’’
Tony Robinson
There are five main purposes to this policy:
To establish an entitlement for all pupils;
To establish the aims of teaching History and Geography
To establish expectations for teachers of this subject;
To promote continuity and coherence across the school;
To state the school’s approaches to this subject in order to promote public, and
particularly parents’ and carers’, understanding of the curriculum.
Entitlement
All children at Oakdale Junior School are entitled to equal access to the Humanities
curriculum throughout their school life.
Humanities Mission Statement
Children should become increasingly proficient in historical and geographical enquiry as
they develop skills and thinking. They will develop their ability to use evidence to reach
and communicate sustainable conclusions and will be increasingly proficient in recognising
and challenging a variety of interpretations in history and find out more about the local
area, study a wide range of places and themes at different scales, and begin to understand
their place in the world and their influences upon it.
Through drawing links between history, looking at what has happened in
the past and geography it is possible for the pupils to realise that it is this influence that
could make a huge difference to the world they live in.
Oakdale Junior School
Aims of teaching History
SKILLS
Chronology
Cause and effect
Enquiry
Interpretation
·
To help pupils understand the present in the context of the past, promoting their sense of
chronology.
·
To encourage pupils to empathise with peoples of the past through role play, and to respect
and celebrate differences.
·
To develop pupil’s historical enquiry skills through using and evaluating evidence, asking and
answering questions.
·
To support them in working together to research topics, prepare arguments, organise events
and present their findings in a variety of ways.
·
To enrich other areas of the curriculum
·
Aims of teaching Geography
SKILLS
Physical and human features
Environmental features
Geographical skills and vocabulary
·
To help pupils to make sense of their own surroundings through learning about their own
locality and the interaction between people and their environment.
·
For pupils to develop and interest in the wonder of the world, including an appreciation of
ethnic, cultural and economic diversity.
·
To develop the geographical skills necessary to carry out effective geographical enquiry.
·
To develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment and an understanding of the
human impact on the natural world.
·
To enrich and support other areas of the curriculum.
Humanities Planning
The national curriculum 2014 for History/Geography is the basis for curriculum planning in
Humanities, but in some cases this is adapted to the local context by building on successful units of
work already in place. The schemes are regularly reviewed and show an expectation of progression.
Weekly planning is a collaborative process carried out in year group teams. Cross-curricular links are
made where appropriate. Teachers use history to reinforce work in Literacy and make strong links
with Art and Geography; we meet the statutory requirement for children to use ICT as part of their
work in Humanities at Key Stage 2 by using search engines/websites to research any given topic and
also to design and publish pupils’ work on the subject. This gives teachers an opportunity to evaluate
pupil knowledge and skills. Teachers also use a variety of websites/ IWB resources within Humanities
lessons. Oakdale is committed to promoting a multi-media approach to the curriculum.
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Opportunities to Broaden Humanities Experiences:
 Theatre companies, speakers and storytellers visit regularly.
 We encourage visitors to come into the school and talk about their experiences of events
in the past.
 Themed days are held within year groups, during which teachers and pupils may dress
up, use props, prepare and sample food from past eras.
 The whole school takes part in themed days/weeks/months at a national level, such as
Veterans’ Day or Black History Month.
 Pupils and staff hold themed assemblies.
 Oakdale received a grant from Redbridge borough to build and furnish a WWII air raid
shelter on its grounds, which pupils studying the World Wars may visit to enhance their
understanding.
 Museum and Heritage Site visits are arranged by year groups as indicated in the termly
planning.
 Occasional Humanities opportunities will be offered as and when they arise (e.g.
competitions, awards etc.)
Equal Opportunities
Teachers aim to ensure that all children work to their full potential, that they are provided
with equal access to the curriculum and resources and have equal opportunities to reflect on
and discuss their work. The resources and schemes of work reflect the diverse cultures and
traditions of our school and the wider community. Teachers ensure that the different cultures
and periods studied are treated with equal respect and honesty.
Inclusion
All children are expected to participate in Humanities activities with the emphasis on effort
and progression so that all pupils are given chances to succeed. Children with additional needs
(physical, emotional or learning) are supported where necessary to ensure that they have
equal access to the full Humanities curriculum. Where necessary, teaching styles, delivery of
lessons, and resources are adapted to remove barriers to learning. Teachers provide suitable
ways for pupils of different abilities to access ideas: for example, for low-attaining pupils by
narrowing the range of information to be used, by increasing the degree of support through
their own advice, by using relevant resources, or by the use of other adults.
Extension Opportunities for Talented Pupils
Please refer to the school’s G&T policy for details on defining and identifying G&T pupils. G&T
pupils are challenged by expecting them to interrogate more demanding sources, by
expecting them to work with greater independence and by raising expectations about how
they might communicate their ideas. They will be given opportunities to:
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Engage in sustained pieces of work
Reflect on what they learn
Make connections between ideas and curriculum areas
Apply their learning in new situations
Ask questions
Develop their ability to think logically and to handle abstract ideas
Deepen their interest in the subject
Assessment
Children’s work in Humanities is assessed by making informal judgements as they are
observed during each Humanities lesson. On completion of a piece of work, the teacher marks
the work and comments as necessary. At the end of a unit of work, the teacher makes a
summary judgement about the work of each pupil if they have yet to obtain, met or exceeded
the unit objectives. This is used as a basis for assessing the progress of the child at the end of
the year. Teachers provide continuous formative feedback during lessons in line with our
Teaching and Learning Policy. At the end of the year, a summative assessment is provided in
the form of the school report.
Resources
There are sufficient resources for all Humanities teaching units in the school. Resource boxes
are kept in year groups and include artefacts, books, DVDs, CDs and posters. More books
related to topics taught can be found in the school library. New resources are ordered from
the Humanities budget as required/requested.
Safe Practice
All staff adheres to the school’s health and safety policy and particular note must be taken of the
policy relating to safe practice on visits/fieldwork. Where children are to participate in activities
outside the classroom, for example, a visit to an archaeological dig, we carry out a risk assessment
prior to the activity, to ensure that the activity is safe and appropriate for all pupils (see the Health
and Safety Policy).
Homework
Humanities homework is set in line with the school’s homework policy. All homework tasks are
linked to the work in hand.
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