Since May 2023 , we have been working with Opening Worlds and Haringey Educational Partnership. Milton Park, alongside our other ELAN schools are working together and introducing a new Humanities curriculum through Opening Worlds. The aim is to develop, enrich and broaden our children's experiences of history, geography and RE. We are using the ‘Opening Worlds’ Humanities Curriculum where our History, Geography and RE sessions are slowly transitioning. All of KS2 will be following this approach however, it will take 3 years to fully embed the whole of the curriculum content.
Opening Worlds is a knowledge-rich humanities programme for teaching history, geography and religion in Years 3 to 6. It was first launched in 2019 by Christine Counsell and Steve Mastin, in association with Haringey Education Partnership (HEP).
Intent of the ‘Opening Worlds’ curriculum:
The uniqueness and background of every child is recognised and valued. Because of this, our curriculum covers a range of cultural, historical and ethical backgrounds and offers purposeful and meaningful experiences to apply, share and develop this knowledge . Our diverse, culturally rich, wide-scoping and rigorous/coherent curriculum is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values in a rigorous and coherent way. Explicit links to story telling and creativity are made to ensure children to engage and enthuse learners. Many enhancement and enrichment activities are used throughout the curriculum to engage learners and create purposeful, high leverage outcomes that give children the opportunity to use and apply their developing knowledge and skills. Our aim is to create an environment that prompts curiosity, critical thinking and allows learners to connect strands of learning across all aspects of the curriculum.
The Structure of the curriculum:
This approach has a coherent, chronological and rigorous structure that ensures that links are not only made across individual subjects but also across each of the topics covered. This means that knowledge is gradually and successfully built upon and children make explicit links using their previous knowledge. This is consistently revisited and retrieved. Below, the coverage of each humanities subject
| History | Geography | RE |
| Year 3 | | | |
| Autumn Term | - Ancient Egypt In what ways did ancient Egypt change?
- Cradles of Civilisation – Ancient Mesopotamia How similar and how different were Ancient Egypt and Ancient Sumer?
| - Rivers How do rivers, people and land affect each other?
- Mountains and Famous Mountain Ranges How do mountains and people affect each other?
| - A Hindu Story – Rama and Sita What does the story of Rama and Sita mean to Hindu peoples?
- Hinduism origins: places and stories from the Indus Valley. What do Hindus learn from Vishnu’s stories and symbols?
|
| Spring Term | - Indus Valley Civilisation How do we know about the Indus Valley civilisation?
- Ancient Greece What did Greek city-states have in common?
| - Settlements and Cities How are settlements similar and different?
- Agriculture and Farming How are we connected to farmers?
| - Living Hindu Traditions How do Hindus show their devotion?
- Judaism - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Why is the Promised Land so important in Judaism?
|
| Summer Term | - Ancient Greece – The Culture What can historians learn from the sources from Ancient Greece?
- Alexander the Great How did Alexander the Great conquer so much land?
| - Volcanoes and the earth’s structure How do volcanoes affect a place?
- Climate and Biomes How does the climate affect the way people live?
| - Moses and Exodus Why do Jews celebrate the festival of Passover?
- Samuel, Saul and David Stories How do Jews today show the importance of the Jewish Temple and the kingdom of Israel?
|
| Year 4 | | | |
| Autumn Term | - Ancient Rome How much power did the senate have in the Roman Republic?
- The Roman Empire What can sources reveal about Roman ways of life?
| - The Rhine and Mediterranean How are different parts of the Rhine and the Mediterranean used by people?
- Populations, diversity and migration How and why does population distribution vary across Great Britain?
| - The family of Jesus Why is the idea of ‘Messiah’ so important to Christians?
- The birth of Jesus - New Testament How do Christians express their beliefs about Jesus at Christmas time?
|
| Spring Term | - The Ancient Britons – The Celts and Roman Rule What kinds of knowledge about Roman Britain have historians been able to build from the sources?
- Constantine, Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire What made each early Christian state special?
| - Coastal Processes and landforms How does the location of west Wales affect its coast?
- Tourism – A study of the Rhine/Mediterranean and National Parks How do tourists interact with a place?
| - Life and teachings of Jesus How does the life and teaching of Jesus affect the way in which Christians live?
- The death and resurrection of Jesus - What do the death and resurrection of Jesus mean in Christian traditions?
|
| Summer Term | - Ancient Arabia and the Bedouin Culture What kind of change did Muhammad bring about in Arabia?
- Cordoba City of Light How did worlds come together in Muslim Cordoba?
| - Earthquakes and tectonic plates How do earthquakes affect people and environments?
- Climate change and deserts Why are deserts located where they are?
| - The message of Jesus spreads How did Christianity develop in the early Church and how do we know?
- Islam – Ramadan What does Ramadan mean to Muslims today?
|
| | History | Geography | RE |
| Year 5 (As of September 2025) | | | |
| Autumn Term | - Baghdad – the round city – comparing cities in the early medieval world
- Anglo-Saxons and their arrival in Briton
| - Why is California so thirsty?
- Oceans and trade
| - Muslim beliefs – claims about truth and worldviews
- The festival of Eid around the world
|
| Spring Term | - Viking raids
- Norse Culture
| - Migration in Europe and the world – global trade
- North and South America
| - Islam in Britain and London
- Buddhism and its Hinduism origin
|
| Summer Term | - Christianity in the British Isles
- Early civilisations in the Americas (Amazonian tribes)
| - Rainforests and the Amazon basin
- Agriculture in the Amazon basin
| - Buddhism – Buddhism today
- Sikhism today
|
| Year 6 (As of September 2026) | | | |
| Autumn Term | - London and migration through time – changes from the Saxons to the 1500s
- Tudor London
| - Comparing three contrasting cultures (Wales/London, Mediterranean/Rhine, Amazon/California)
- Polar regions
| - The origin of two key religions
- Changing religion in England over time – Henry VIII and reformations
|
| Spring Term | - The Kingdom of Benin
- 17th century London – Samuel Pepys
| - Natural resources in London
| - Changing religion in England over time – Islam and Hinduism
- Changing religion in England over time – Judaism
|
| Summer Term | - Eighteenth and Nineteenth century London
- Britain, London and the Second World War
| | - Deepening understanding of religious traditions through religious art, music and literature
|
See the Opening Worlds website for more information at KS2 Curriculum - Opening Worlds
