The British Monarchy in the Primary Knowledge Curriculum: Reflections for schools following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II

It has been estimated that 4.1 billion people tuned in to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday. This will, of course, have included many of the children we teach. Many of us will be wondering how we fit in teaching our children about what is happening when our timetables are already so squeezed. We may choose to plan assemblies, look for resources and consider how best to discuss the events we are living through that will, undoubtedly, become stories in the history books of tomorrow. The children will inevitably have questions about such events, and we will all be preparing ourselves to answer them.

 

In order to understand the events happening around us, we need prior knowledge. For example, we need to understand who the British Royal Family are; we need to recognise Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Balmoral, Windsor Castle. We need to know the countries of the UK and about the commonwealth. We need to know about coronations, about our coins, stamps and why Charles will be the third king of his name.

 

While we might be able to find quick resources to teach some of this knowledge to our children, for our partner schools who follow the Primary Knowledge Curriculum, we can feel secure in the knowledge that our curriculum delivers knowledge and understanding of the world all year around, not just on momentous occasions such as these.

 

When studying PKC, children develop a secure understanding of monarchy in Britain. Children’s knowledge of kings and queens of the past will help them to understand what is happening at this important time.

 

In the early years, our children learn about ‘Kings and Queens’ in Reception in the summer term. They are taught interesting and important vocabulary to help them name, describe, explain and express opinions. They will talk about Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s Guards and Windsor Castle. They explore important associated symbols, such as the throne and the sceptre and orb, used in the coronation of a new monarch. When our children watch the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, they will have prior knowledge of coronations which will help them to better understand what they are seeing.

 

In key stage one, children learn about family trees and how the crown is passed down through the Royal Family. They look at the coronation of Elizabeth II and her role as queen. They learn important vocabulary linked to the monarchy – for example: coronation, heir, inherit, royalty. They learn about the Tudors and study Elizabeth I. Their prior knowledge will help them to understand the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III.

 

In key stage two, children explore the British Empire and learn about additional monarchs including Charles I and the English Civil War. They learn about Charles II being invited back to take the throne and how his reign oversaw the plague and the Great Fire of London. In upper KS2, children learn about the monarchy during the world wars and further explore its role when they study women’s rights. The theme of power is embedded throughout the curriculum as children learn about the Magna Carta, the Divine Right of Kings, the Reformation and many more specific events in History that weave a rich tapestry of understanding for our pupils.

 

If children have participated in some way in the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II, maybe through signing a book of remembrance, laying flowers, or perhaps watching the news, they will understand that these books, images and news broadcasts will be archived for future historians to learn from, because they understand how historians use sources. These events our children are living through will become history.

 

Foundational knowledge that contributes to our children’s understanding of current events is not just limited to the history curriculum. In Geography, they learn about the formation of the United Kingdom, the countries and capital cities of the UK and their flags. They learn about the continents of the world and the countries within it. This, alongside the history curriculum, deepens their understanding of the relationships between countries and the geopolitics of today.

 

In art, they will receive a rich diet of knowledge relating to the kings and queens of our country, the buildings they are associated with, costumes made for them and how they are represented in art. Children look closely and draw Westminster Abbey in their unit on Architecture in Year 1. In Year 2, they study Holbein’s portrait of Edward VI as a child. As Henry VIII’s only legitimate heir, the portrait signifies his future kingship: he holds a sceptre (that they learned about in early years), and his hand is held out to signify giving a blessing. In Year 4, children learn about Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dress in the unit on Needlework, which has symbols of the four nations embroidered on it. They also learn about Catherine, our new Princess of Wales’, wedding dress, which shows examples of fine embroidery, lace and applique. In Year 5, children learn about photographs taken of the royal family under the reign of Queen Victoria in the unit on Photography and that Prince Albert was very interested in the new art of photography. In Year 6, children draw the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey in the unit on Victorian Art and Architecture as they explore gothic art.

 

At the Knowledge Schools Trust Primaries, our children have been having important conversations about the monarchy and traditions surrounding it, using the vocabulary, knowledge and understanding that the curriculum has equipped them with. For example, our Year 5 children were discussing why our new king would be called King Charles III, explaining what they knew about the two past monarchs of the same name. These conversations are important for children to process the events of the last month. They also demonstrate the power of a curriculum that makes meaning for children.

 

We are dedicated to a knowledge-rich primary curriculum, not to indoctrinate children into one way of thinking, but to better understand the world they are growing up in. We want children to be able to watch the news and know something about what is happening. With knowledge, they can form views which will help them to begin to understand the world and the complex ways in which it works.

 

By committing to a knowledge-rich primary curriculum we are ensuring a legacy for the children we teach; one that offers the gift of understanding so that they can participate in the changing world around them.