Integrating the local context into the curriculum to support students with the transition from ‘Understanding the World’ in the EYFS to history in Key Stage 1

Verity Downing, Early Years Practitioner and Doctoral Researcher, UK Stuart Boydell, Key Stage 1 Teacher, Chartered History Teacher and Historical Association Primary Committee member, UK The 2021 academic year saw the new ‘Development matters’ (DfE, 2021) come into force. In light of this, teachers were encouraged to consider how they create a bespoke Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum that emphasises the role of communities as ‘living practices that bring meaning and value’ (Early Education, 2021, p. 37), within which ‘place, space and histories are important’(Early Education, 2021, p. 37). Developing a curriculum and continuous provision that is rooted in the setting’s local community is central to the teaching of Understanding the World. These policy changes create a continuum within the primary sector by drawing together a common emphasis on topic and skills-based learning. Now Early Years and Key Stage 1 teachers alike can introduce historical-based