History and Geography

At Rush Common, we view History as the process of enquiry, involving the search, examining and recording of evidence and the interpreting and weighing of varied evidence. The children develop skills of critical thinking and imaginative reconstruction; we look at how to fill the gaps. Across the whole school, our History curriculum adheres to clear objectives which can often be linked in terms of subject knowledge, to English and other areas of learning. Topics include investigating the effect of World War II on Britain and its people; Roman invasion and its legacy; Ancient Egypt; and the great impact of the Victorian era. Children develop a deep knowledge and empathy of these different time periods. We use Oxfordshire Museum Boxes to handle and explore artefacts, and we use educational visits to enrich our understanding such as the Steam Museum and Ufton Court.

The aim of our Geography curriculum at Rush Common is to give our pupils knowledge and understanding of their local environment and the world around them.  Children learn that Geography is all about the Earth, its land, its people and how we interact with these.  It is to show our pupils the importance of being a valuable and thoughtful citizen and to consider the greater scope of our impact on our world. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will have in-depth learning and experience of locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and fieldwork.

We value the development of historical and geographical skills as children progress. By developing children’s learning as critical thinkers, effective communicators and empathetic learners, children progress through our school gradually building on higher order thinking skills while also building their general knowledge in these subjects.