History at GJS
History at Greasby Junior School is an exciting journey through time that sparks curiosity, imagination and critical thinking. Our curriculum is designed to help children make sense of the past and understand how it influences the world they live in today. From early civilisations to local experiences of World War II, pupils encounter a broad and rich historical narrative.
We want children to think like historians. Through enquiry-led learning, pupils question, analyse and interpret evidence to draw conclusions about people, events and changes over time. Each unit carefully balances substantive knowledge (the facts, concepts and historical content being taught) with disciplinary knowledge (the skills historians use to investigate and understand the past). This means pupils not only learn what happened, but also consider how we know about it, which sources are reliable and why interpretations sometimes differ.
Substantive concepts such as civilisation, society, empire, agriculture, leadership, justice and trade are revisited and deepened as pupils move through Key Stage 2. Alongside this, disciplinary concepts such as chronology, sources and evidence, continuity and change, cause and consequence, significance and similarity and difference are woven through every unit. This structured progression ensures that pupils build a secure understanding of both historical content and historical thinking.
We also acknowledge the importance of learning about the past close to home. By weaving local history into our curriculum—such as Viking Wirral, the Industrial heritage of the region, and Birkenhead’s wartime experiences—we enable children to make meaningful personal connections, strengthening their sense of identity and place.
Across each year group, pupils engage with rich texts, artefacts, visual sources, enquiry questions and opportunities to debate and form reasoned arguments. This allows them to develop curiosity, empathy and an appreciation of how the actions of people in the past have shaped the present.
Through this approach, we aim for all pupils to leave Greasby Junior School as critical, reflective and informed young citizens who understand the complexities of the past and are equipped to question the world around them.
