According to OFSTED (January 2023), inspectors will want to know how key stage 1 builds on the knowledge that children learn in the early years. They will want to look at the curriculum through the eyes of a child from the moment children join the school to the time that they leave.
For example, when an inspector is doing a deep dive in history, they will also look at what foundational knowledge Reception year children learn about the world around them and about the past. While inspectors would not expect to see a ‘history lesson’, they might ask leaders and teachers about their plans for children to learn the foundational knowledge, such as ‘castle’ and ‘king’, that will enable them to understand history from Year 1 onwards. Conversations with leaders and teachers in the EYFS might direct inspectors to look at how the choices of stories that are read to children and the nursery rhymes and books that are shared with them give children an insight into foundational historical concepts for access to history lessons in key stage 1.
Discussions might also shine a light on concepts that children learn during circle times, such as the nature of change and
