History, Geography & RE

Through the teaching of History at RPPS, we aim to create inquisitive thinkers with an understanding of how the world we live in today was shaped by events of the past.

Lessons are formed around key questions, encouraging the children to engage in historical enquiry, ask pertinent questions and gain historical perspective, placing their growing knowledge into context with the era being studied. Children have opportunities to explore different sources, conduct their own research and go on school trips to bring the subject to life in some of London’s famous museums. Main topics are broken down into smaller areas across the three terms to ensure in depth coverage of key historical skills.

Younger children study pre-history, ancient civilizations and invasion. They find out how our world has been shaped by events of the past. As children move through the school they study broader topics of expansion, improvements and shifts. They begin to see how our world has changed dramatically over a relatively short period of time.

Older children look at the world in conflict, studying crime and punishment and the impact of the World Wars on Europe and the wider world.

Our Year Six children embark on a personal study, researching census documents and interviewing family members to create family trees. In preparation for moving on to Secondary school, they look at essay construction and how to present their findings.  

In Geography, pupils at RPPS are able to develop their knowledge of people and places to understand the physical, social and economic forces that shape those places and the lifestyles of the people who live there.

We study local areas and issues and extend these studies into the wider world. The children learn to use maps and atlases to locate cities, countries, mountain ranges, rivers, seas and oceans. They are able to use a range of websites to explore the environment and economics of those countries in which they study. Pupils are also able to apply their literacy skills to create extended pieces of writing about the different topics that they are learning about.  

Learning by experience is essential in Geography and therefore fieldwork is a fundamental part of the subject. Throughout their life at RPPS, the pupils will have many opportunities to explore the fantastic and diverse area in which they live: from visiting the local Tesco and discovering where our food has come from, to visiting Chiswick Pier and completing a study of the River Thames. By getting out of the classroom and exploring ‘real life’ Geography, we hope that our pupils will develop a deeper understanding and passion for their planet.

Religious Education at RPPS focuses on critical thinking skills, personal reflection into the child’s own thoughts and feelings, growing subject knowledge and nurturing spiritual development. The children are asked to answer a key enquiry question, which demands weighing up ‘evidence’ and reaching a conclusion based on this. The enquiry approach makes RE exciting and engaging for the children and delivers excellent learning outcomes.

Christianity is taught in every year group, with Christmas and Easter given fresh treatment every year, developing children’s learning in a progressive way. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism are also included in the curriculum.