Curriculum

Geography

“Within Geography lessons we aim to inspire a curiosity of the ever-changing world whilst developing an understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes.”

Miss Burns – Geography Lead

Intent

We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Our aim is to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As geographers, pupils are exposed to a rich and balanced curriculum that provides them with new vocabulary and knowledge. Children will explore concepts such as diversity, interdependence, sustainability and change and will endeavour to find answers to key enquiry questions. We intend to equip children with the geographical skills to develop their knowledge through studying places, people, and environments.

Geography is an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills that will be transferrable to other curriculum areas which they will use throughout their lifetime.

Implementation

Our geography curriculum is designed to enrich discussions, expanding learning and understanding. Children have opportunities to investigate and interpret a range of geographical locations in Britain and across the wider world. We encourage children to become geographers by collecting, analysing and communicating through discussion our findings. Our geography lessons provide opportunities to support all abilities through investigations, outdoor learning and analysing data.

We teach geography in alternating blocks throughout the year, so children can achieve depth in their learning. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, our lessons help children build on prior knowledge. All children will expand their skills within the four areas of geography (locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork).

All pupils have access to and enjoy using atlases, maps, globes, digital technology, books and photographs. Children have opportunities to experience geography through practical tasks beyond the classroom. We have a large amount of outdoor space in our Forest school to allow children to be hands on with the environment and allow us to achieve the desired outcomes. Educational visits and visitors take place throughout the year to extend children’s geography-based learning.

The curriculum ensures the skills required to meet the aims of the National Curriculum have been taught. The content allows for children to have a broader, deeper understanding of the four areas of geography. It develops pupils’ contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places and understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, along with how they bring about variation and change over time.

Impact 

By the end of our curriculum, pupils will leave us equipped with a coherent geographical knowledge and understanding of the different strands of geography and the ability to be active participants in a global society. Children will be able to speak confidently about their geography learning, skills and knowledge, where they will use geographical vocabulary accurately. Children will also begin to make links to other curriculum subjects. They will improve their enquiry skills about the world around them, and their impact on the world. Children will also become competent in collecting, analysing and interpreting a range of geographical information and communicating this in a variety of ways.

Outcomes in books and pupil voice, evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge. Children review their successes in achieving the lesson objectives and are actively encouraged to identify their own target areas.

Geography allows children to gain knowledge about different cultures and traditions as well as an understanding of other people and their environments. In an ever-changing world, our pupils will begin to consider the impact that their choices will make on the future of our planet and, their own future.  Our geography curriculum will empower and allow our children to become better local and global citizens.