History
At Fishponds, we follow the Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP) History Curriculum, a carefully designed programme that inspires curiosity, builds secure historical knowledge and helps pupils understand their place in the world. The curriculum provides a rich, coherent journey from Early Years through to Year 6, enabling pupils to make meaningful connections between the past and the present.
Our Approach
The LSP History Curriculum brings pupils into a meaningful dialogue with the past. It develops their understanding of how people lived, how societies changed and how different groups and cultures have contributed to the world we live in today. Through engaging stories, well‑chosen historical enquiries and hands‑on exploration of evidence, pupils learn to:
- Ask thoughtful questions
- Think critically
- Weigh evidence
- Make comparisons
- Form their own well‑reasoned opinions
As they move through the school, pupils build a secure chronological understanding of British, local and world history, revisiting and deepening key concepts over time.
What Pupils Learn
The curriculum is structured around four powerful historical concepts:
- Trade and Settlement
- Empires and Civilisations
- Invasion, Migration and Peace
- Technology and Innovation
Each year group explores these ideas through carefully sequenced units. Pupils encounter a wide range of historical periods and themes, including:
- Their own family and community (EYFS)
- The Great Fire of London, Brunel and Florence Nightingale (KS1)
- Stone Age to Iron Age Britain, the Romans, Anglo‑Saxons and Vikings (LKS2)
- Ancient Greece, Benin, Early Islamic Civilisation, World War Two and the Windrush Generation (UKS2)
This ensures they gain a strong sense of how and why people, places and societies have changed over time.
How Learning Happens
Teaching follows the LSP’s evidence‑informed pedagogical approach, including:
- Clear and explicit instruction
- Revisiting prior learning through regular retrieval practice
- Building knowledge step by step
- Using high‑quality discussion, modelling and questioning
- Supporting all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND
Every unit is driven by an enquiry question, which pupils answer through a final outcome such as writing, presenting or debating. Knowledge organisers, low‑stakes quizzes and high‑quality assessment ensure that pupils know more, remember more and can do more over time.
