Curriculum History and Geography

At the Coombes our teaching is child-centred, multi-sensory, active and co-operative. We pride ourselves on giving the children a rich experience through which they can become actively and imaginatively involved with the past.

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They will have access to a wide range of historical sources, representations and activities. In this way, we hope children will be helped to develop an understanding of the present in the context of the past, a sense of their own identity and an insight into the world around them.

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History at the Coombes

We aim to present the teaching of History in an interesting and stimulating way in order to arouse, develop and sustain children's interest and curiosity in the past, as well as their ability to question and communicate.

Throughout the school, stories; drama; visitors and events are used to ignite the children's curiosity in the past. Our ethos at The Coombes is to enable each child to develop confidence and self-esteem, to encourage self-reliance, self-discipline and responsibility; history enables children to build on these traits, to ask questions about the past and research answers from a range of resources, including the internet, encyclopaedias', historical documents and correspondence, as well as art, music and artefacts.

The children become involved in celebration days which have a history and tradition in the school setting as well as being historical. For example, during Apple Barn, the children will be learning the history of British apples and the stories that surround them. These stories involve Henry VIII (Tudor times), Roman invasion and 20 ^th century history, all whilst eating apples grown at school and from local orchards.

We extensively use The Coombes' outdoor environment for the teaching of history which is directly related to the children's physical setting. The children are actively engaged in improvement/development projects which will influence the school site in the future. They are also aware that they are working in an environment that has been changed by children in the past.

The teaching of History at The Coombes fosters the ethos of independent and confident learners allowing the children's curiosity to fuel their learning.

Geography

It is the curiosity of our children that shapes the way in which Geography is taught here at The Coombes. Our instinct to explore their surroundings and create from it, is a force which we hold dear and is our stimulus for learning.

Some would argue that a pair of 'Wellies' is the most important piece of equipment for a young Coombes child as, right from their first day here, they are encouraged to explore their ever-changing environment. The knowledge and the skills that are tempered from these plentiful experiences are coupled with the opportunity to celebrate the cultures of the world. Throughout their school life, our children are encouraged to challenge and question what they see and sense.

As the children continue to develop their understanding of their world, they learn skills that help them to make sense of what they experience. They learn to compare how their lives and environment differs from others both in physical and political terms. Opportunities are created for our children to move further afield to visit physical geographical features such as rivers and fords to recognise the power of water in terms of travel and need. They learn to identify and understand the difference between towns, villages and cities.

Learning can be seen in a number of thematic ways and styles too and is a great opportunity to work collaboratively and in small groups. Our learning becomes even more powerful when we find the links to other areas such as Art, History and Religious education.

Geography at The Coombes allows the children further opportunity to find solutions to problems that they will encounter on their journey and encourages them to think about how important their role is as a 'Global Citizen', which is becoming of an increasing importance.

History and Geography

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History at the Coombes

Geography

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