History

At Orgill, we use CUSP History to teach history, which encourages children to investigate questions about key people and events in the past. Through this questioning the children gain a clear understanding of events in the past on a local, national and international level, and reflect on how this might have affected their lives today. 

CUSP History is planned so that the retention of knowledge is much more than just 'in the moment knowledge'.  The cumulative nature of the curriculum is made memorable by the implementation of Bjork’s desirable difficulties, including retrieval and spaced retrieval practice, word building and deliberate practice tasks. This powerful interrelationship between structure and research-led practice is designed to increase substantive knowledge and accelerate learning within and between study modules. That means the foundational knowledge of the curriculum is positioned to ease the load on the working memory: new content is connected to prior learning. The effect of this cumulative model supports opportunities for children to associate and connect with significant periods of time, people, places and events.

CUSP History strategically incorporates a range of modules that revisit, elaborate and sophisticate key concepts, events, people and places.  A guiding principle of CUSP History is that pupils become ‘more expert’ with each study and grow an ever broadening and coherent mental timeline. This guards against superficial, disconnected and fragmented understanding of the past. Specific and associated historical vocabulary is planned sequentially and cumulatively from Year 1 to Year 6.

We also make full use of resources within the immediate and wider local area, enabling children to develop a deep understanding of the rich history of their locality. We make full use of local links with the Egremont Crab Fair Committee, with visiting speakers to the whole school prior to the Crab Fair celebrations as well as visits to the grounds of Egremont castle. Topic boxes and activity sessions are utilised whenever possible from local museums including The Beacon, Tullie House and Mayport Roman Museum. The topics enhanced by such resources include toys, changes from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, the Romans, including further visits to various local heritage sites including Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda and Maryport Roman Museum, The Viking settlers and the ancient Egyptians. External visits and the use of topics boxes are used to enhance the learning experience for all children at Orgill, to enable them to explore resources in a hands-on situation which they would not usually be able to do.  

Children leave Orgill with a wide knowledge of key historical events, having developed a range of critical thinking and analysing skills. Skills, which will enable them to independently make judgments and reach conclusions for themselves throughout later life experiences.