Shrubland Street Community Primary School

At Shrubland Street, humanities is taught right across the school as a blend of geography and history. What people do, what they have done, where they do it and why they do it there... are questions posed and explored by pupils, at first on a local level right up to a global level, by the time they leave ready for secondary school. Alongside the humanities curriculum is Shrubland Street’s Adventure Curriculum, which aims to add a splash of brave and derring-do into the mix.  

Through play, art, songs, stories and games, our youngest pupils explore their locality and the environment, as well as contemplate how things change over time through themed projects. Trips to local places, such as farms, forests and factories are enjoyed, alongside hosting visitors with stories to share. 

Later, in specific topics, Key Stage 1 pupils begin to discover the wider region and the recent past. They begin to use historical sources and maps to help them reach an understanding, using writing, art, and drama to present their work. They begin to undertake fieldwork and research and enjoy residential trips to Dunfield House, London as well as SeaWorld. 

In Key stage 2, through a mixture of theme, enquiry and systemic study, pupils reflect on the big geographical and historical questions on a variety of levels. They begin to identify processes, make connections and explain interrelationships. They present their work in a variety of ways and enjoy field work set in a number of different places, as well as experiencing orienteering, kayaking, sailing, mountain biking and a range of other practical skills which will serve them well in life beyond school. 

  From making mini forests in reception, to planting real trees in our arboretum, from making models of drainage basins to paddling down a river in a kayak, humanities aims to give our pupils a love of their environment and a curiosity about how places turn out to be.