Hello, I am Lauren O’Brien, as well as being a class teacher I’m also the History and Art lead.

In my downtime I love strolls in the park with my daughter, spending quality with my husband and friends and yoga!

In both KS1 and KS2, history is taught in a cross-curricular way throughout the academic year. Children are taught different key skills as they progress through the school.

Some examples of the topics include:
Year 1 – London Town – Great Fire of London and Wartime Heroines
Year 2 – The Battle of Hastings and the Final Frontier
Year 3 – Celts and Romans and Ancient Greece
Year 4 – Ancient Egyptians and Viscous Vikings
Year 5 – Tudors
Year 6 – World War 2 and The Stone age

In KS1, children spend time learning about changes within living memory for example, in Year 2 looking at Kings and Queens past and present, and in Year 1 how Wandsworth has changed over time. We also look at events beyond living memory such as The Great Fire of London in Year 1 and learning about the first landing on the Moon in Year 2. We also look at the lives of significant individuals in the past and significant historical events, people and places.

In KS2, pupils continue to develop secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history. Children are taught to identify trends over time and be able to establish clear narratives within and across periods they are studying, using key historical vocabulary. In Year 3 the children begin KS2 by learning about the changes in Britain from the Celts and the Romans. In Year 4 they study Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and discover just how viscous the Vikings really were. Year 5 look at significant turning points in British history, and how the Tudor influences still resonate today. In Year 6 they focus on a local history; and the impact WW2 had on local areas.