Historians

What do we know?

The Dolphin School is based in a historically rich city and we believe that history stimulates pupil’s interest and creates an understanding about the life of people who lived in the past. History helps to give us all a greater understanding of other cultures and how they have come to be as they are. It helps to show how humanity has changed, developed and learned over time. It helps us to understand which major events have had the greatest impact on our society and how they came about. We realise that history is personal and relates to our community, our city and our world. Our children are inquisitive and we have an oracy rich curriculum, which encourages children to ask questions. 

What do we want?

We aspire for pupils to develop a sense of identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. This is so that all children can see themselves as a part of history. We encourage children to identify historical influences on modern life and understand how these affect life today. We want to build links to the past so that history feels more alive for our children.  

How will we achieve this?

At The Dolphin School, our curriculum starts with an enquiry question (e.g. Who trades with whom? How do we play now and in the past? How has Bristol’s past shaped the modern day?) Through answering these key questions, our children will develop a greater understanding of people and the influences that shape them. This enables our children to understand their place in the world in relation to others, their culture and beliefs. Each week, we teach pupils to understand how events in the past have influenced our lives today; we also teach the pupils to investigate these past events and, by so doing, develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation and problem solving. We study artefacts and visit historical sites and museums in order to enrich our experience of history.