Bring the Past to Life This Local and Community History Month

May is Local and Community History Month, an event run by the Historical Association to promote greater awareness and appreciation of local history. It presents a brilliant opportunity to uncover historical events that have shaped our communities and meet objectives within the National Curriculum at the same time.

In this blog, we look at why local history is so important and explore how a local history walk could help you make the most of the month.

Why local history matters

Local history has an important place in the primary curriculum, helping young children develop a sense of place and identity by exploring the stories of historical events, people and places from their own communities.

In addition to this, in the Research Report for History published in 2021, Ofsted noted that high-quality history education should include a curriculum which ‘supports pupils to contextualise their own experience and identity within the history of their local community, Britain and the world’. (Ofsted, Research review series: history, published 14 July 2021).

Local history walks should be a regular part of every primary school’s curriculum because they can be valuable experiences that bring learning to life. More than just reading about the past in textbooks, children can see buildings, statues and landmarks that tell the story of their own community. Similarly, links with their own families or routines, which may mean they know some of the buildings you include, make history more engaging and memorable. Most importantly, learning outside the classroom in a fun and interactive way helps children develop a deeper respect for the past and a greater ‘sense of place’ for their local environment.

This emotional connection to a place and its community is well described in the Welsh curriculum by the word "Cynefin".

How to get involved in Local and Community History Month

As part of Local and Community History Month this May, you could plan a special historical walk, focusing on the local history of the area around your school.

Every place is different whether the school is an inner-city school, on an urban estate, in a market town or village. Every place has a past and therefore a history, a legacy of past events, experiences and influences. This legacy may be preserved in the built environment, the physical landscape or stories told by the inhabitants.

Given every place is different, every planned walk will be different too. We hope the Local History Aide Memoire (below) will help you define your focus as you think about the unique characteristics of your own area.

Planning a historical walk in your school’s locality

1. Make sure you understand the school’s policies for taking children off-site.

   1. Send a permission slip home.

   2. Arrange for helpers/volunteers (one adult per 5-6 children is ideal).

   3. Brief the volunteers/helpers. They should understand that the children are not on an outing but undertaking historical fieldwork.

   4. Prepare a risk assessment (check for traffic, weather, allergies, etc.,)

   5. Pack essentials: first aid kit, clipboards, water bottles, high-vis vests.

      
      

2. Consider the purpose of the walk. It might:

   1. be defined by the aims of the National Curriculum, such as change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance.

   2. explore a theme, a building or a person depending on your locality. e.g. the impact of the railway or canal, the study of a particular area or building (e.g. Tudor houses, churches, Victorian housing) or maybe the impact of World War 2.

      
      

3. Plan and reconnoitre the route. You may find the National Library of Scotland’s geo-

   referenced maps useful to compare the modern route with what was there in late Victorian times (https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/).

4. Ensure that the children are prepared and understand the purpose of their walk. Handouts, current and old maps, and old photos will help the enquiry process. Worksheets can be prepared so observations can be properly recorded.

5. Share the children’s findings. After the walk, the children should have an opportunity to share what they’ve learnt. They could prepare a school assembly, a display in the library or even an event involving the wider community.

Next steps

We hope this blog has proven useful and given some food for thought about what your walk’s main focus could be. We’d love to hear about your walk and the gems of information that your pupils uncovered.

Like further guidance? Perhaps we could devise a unit for you focused on your own locality’s specific history. You could then use it every year, secure in the knowledge that it’s not only factually correct but also curriculum-aligned!