Geography

Intent

Our Geography curriculum is taught through termly topic-based learning from Nursery to Year 6. This engages pupils in our Geography learning and ensures that they see links between the content, their lives and the wider world. Our curriculum is carefully planned and structured to ensure that there are links between previous learning and current learning.

Through our carefully designed curriculum, we aim to dvelop pupils’ understanding of their local environment and the diverse surroundings in the wider world, with appreciation to human and physical characteristics. It should inspire curiosity and equip children with an understanding of diverse places, people and environments. Children should develop an understanding of the Earth’s features and how they change over time. Children should use their local area and community to develop geographical skills and knowledge.

Our Geography curriculum should:

Provoke questions and provide answers to the natural and human aspects of the world.
Develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as each child’s place in it
Inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives; 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.
Develop pupils’ geographical vocabulary
Develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can be used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by linking geography skills through a topic based approach.

By the end of year 6, children will have an in depth understanding of locational knowledge (being able to name and locate continents, oceans, four countries and capitals of the United Kingdom, identify the position of latitude, longitude, equator, Northern and Southern hemisphere, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Artic and Antarctic Circles, Greenwich Meridian and time zones), place knowledge (by having an understanding of geographical similarities and differences of human and physical geography), human and physical geography (by identifying weather patterns, climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle, types of settlements and land use, economic activity and the distribution of natural resources) and geographical and fieldwork skills (by using world maps, atlases and globes to identify the location of countries, continents and ocean, use compass directions and using geographical vocabulary and be able to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features of the local area by using sketch maps, plans, graphs and digital technologies).

Implementation

Planning is informed by and aligned to the National Curriculum.
The key knowledge and skills that children acquire and develop throughout each block have been mapped to ensure progression between year groups throughout the school.
A typical lesson structure has been developed to ensure key knowledge is regularly checked by the teacher to allow for misconceptions to be addressed and for consolidation of key areas to occur.
Cross-curricular links (e.g. with Art) are made, where appropriate, to ensure the children have opportunities to further embed and apply their knowledge and understanding. These are indicated on the school’s progression mapping. The school’s own context is also considered, with opportunities for visits to places of historical interest and learning outside the classroom also identified and embedded in practice.
Knowledge Organisers outline the knowledge and vocabulary expected to be accrued by children by the end of the unit. They also show the previous knowledge/vocabulary that children should have. These are based on assessment documents mapped out by the subject leader which outline the key knowledge for each unit. This ensures that teachers have the pre-requisite subject knowledge to effectively teach this unit. These are placed in books so that they may also be used as a scaffold/prompt for children. In addition, they are made available to parents to support learning at home.
Lessons are planned to promote higher order thinking and effective questioning is a key feature of lessons to prompt children’s recall and to encourage them to reach conclusions of their own.
Teachers cater for the varying needs of all learners, scaffolding activities where necessary and as appropriate, and ensuring an appropriate level of challenge. Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge.
We place an emphasis on diversity, ensuring that children are exposed to a range of cultures.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.
All Year groups have access to the School’s Library Service which provide us with books each term that link to our topic learning.

Impact

Outcomes in topic books evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum and demonstrate the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge.
Emphasis is placed on analytical thinking and questioning and children demonstrate knowledge of location and place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical and fieldwork skills. In class, we see pupils asking perceptive questions, thinking critically, considering evidence and developing perspective and judgement.
Regular trips/visits are used to provide further relevant and contextual learning. Pupil voice has demonstrated that pupils gain new knowledge from these as well as finding them engaging.
Assessment of Geography is recorded on Insight. This allows teachers to consider areas that may need further consolidation.