St Mary's RC Primary School
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History
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History teaching in our school focuses on enabling children to think as historians. Throughout each topic we place an emphasis on examining historical artefacts (both genuine and replica) and a range of primary and secondary sources.  In each key stage we give children the opportunity to visit sites of historical significance and encourage visitors to come into the school and talk about their experiences of events in the past. To further support their understanding of history, school trips provide opportunities for children to see and experience history in real-life for example going to Alnwick Castle and Arbeia Roman Fort.This exciting approach to history begins in the EYFS where each child’s life is the focus before progressing in KS1 to important changes within a child’s living history and their own timeline of events. Throughout every phase of learning, children are encouraged to ask searching questions such as ‘how do we know?’ about information and source material they are given which helps to direct the course of learning throughout a topic. In KS2, historical investigations also understanding of how civilisation has evolved over time through the study of the earliest British native peoples, civilisations of the ancient world and civilisations that sought to invade, conquer and settle in the British Isles.

Geography
Teaching our children about the world God created for us, is an essential part of our children’s education. In the EYFS children learn to describe the world around them using the playground and external school grounds as their starting point. In KS1 children begin to expand their learning to consider the local area around our school as well as making climate comparisons with other countries around the world. Children begin to read and understand maps of our school, local area and the world, before attempting to create some of their own. As children move into KS2, they begin to secure their knowledge of countries and continents around the world and then look at some of the ecological features of the land, for example mountains, rivers and volcanoes. In upper KS2 Geography lessons become an opportunity to address worldwide issues relating to fair trade and the consumption of resources, whilst addressing the impact on us here in Whickham.

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