Geography Subject Leader: Sam Pye

Subject Aims

The National Curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes.

• Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time

• Are competent in the geographical skills needed to:

1. Collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes

2. Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

3.  Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

As a school, we have designed our curriculum to meet the needs of the National Curriculum and to inspire our children’s learning. We have recently re-constructed our planning and chosen more suitable topics that link with other subject areas. We have chosen a range of topics that will fascinate the children whilst also having an equal focus on both the physical and human aspects of the subject. We aim to deepen their understanding of the world and see the progression of geographical skills as they move through the year groups.  We work closely with the Infant School to ensure our Geography curriculum is best suited to the learning that the children will have experienced before arriving at our school. The current intent, implementations of the subject can be found below: 

Intent:

• To motivate and enthuse all groups of learners by providing opportunities for a broad, balanced and deep understanding of human and physical geographical features of different locations around the world.

• To challenge and support all pupils through carefully planned sequences of lessons, provision of a wide range of resources and opportunities for investigative learning and geographical skills development.

• To make cross-curricular links and promote language, literacy and mathematical skills through use of cross-curricular topics and planned activities which require pupils to use literacy and maths skills that are appropriate to their year group.

• To promote the moral, cultural and emotional development of pupils through careful choice of topics and links to PSHE work.

Implementation:

• Lessons are clear and effective. They follow a sequence where the next lesson builds on previous knowledge and skills.

• Children to access different resources to help improve geographical knowledge and skills.

• Topics to meet the National curriculum criteria.

• Teaching should ensure skills are developed each year and that skills become more challenging as pupils progress through the school.

• Lessons should incorporate different areas of the curriculum where possible to develop other areas e.g. maths.

Impact:

• Children will be enthusiastic about geography and have a curiosity about the world based on the lessons taught. 

• Children will have a good understanding about the differences between physical and human geography.

• Children will be able to complete a range of geographical skills e.g. map work.