Geography

Intent

At Preshute Primary School, we are geographers. We believe that geography is essential to enable children to become well-rounded citizens in the world they live in. Our geography curriculum aims to inspire curiosity in our pupils, to foster in them an understanding and appreciation of the world and how it has evolved over time, and to give pupils the opportunity to enquire about their immediate surroundings and the wider world.

Children will have the opportunity to expand their geographical vocabulary, increase their knowledge of the world around them and explore the processes that give rise to human and physical features of the world, both locally and further afield. We want to ensure children understand their local environment so they will be able to compare their locality with other places in the UK (KS1) and around the world (KS2). Children will learn about the processes that create key physical and human geographical features of the world and will understand how these are interdependent and how they change over time.

In EYFS, geography forms part of ‘Understanding the World’. Our pupils will begin to explore the world through child-initiated learning. Children will talk about features of their own environments; considering how they change over time and how they vary from contrasting environments from their own experiences and what is read to them in class. Children will begin to consider the similarities and differences in relation to places of the world.

In line with the national curriculum, we want to empower children to use purposeful research and the following geographical skills to support their learning:

Collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes.
Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

We understand the importance of fieldwork and seek to provide opportunities to explore the natural and built environment around the school setting, as well as further afield.

Implementation

At Preshute, we have created a geography progression map, which sets out the objectives taught in each year group. Geography is taught for half a term every term for one hour per week. The subject is explicitly taught in years 1 to 6 and units are sequenced to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth.

At the start of each unit, children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic. In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to review the learning that has taken place in previous units as well as previous lessons. Teachers use assessment for learning at different points in each lesson to ensure misconceptions are highlighted and addressed. Pupils are regularly given the opportunity for self or peer assessment, which will then be used to inform planning, preparation, differentiation and address misconceptions within that lesson, or for the next lesson. The children will also have the opportunity to reflect on what they have learnt at the end of a unit, to reinforce their knowledge as geographers.

Teachers have access to a variety of physical and digital resources to support their teaching. Every classroom has a globe and maps are displayed throughout the school; teachers are encouraged to reference these to develop an awareness of how the world looks as a whole. Teachers use questioning and provide opportunities for discussion and investigation to support the development of vocabulary, which is explicitly taught and modelled by teachers in every lesson. Key geographical knowledge and language (such as the name and location of continents, countries, capital cities and oceans) is revisited frequently to make learning memorable, relevant and easy to retrieve. Teachers’ subject knowledge is supported through regular discussions with the geography lead, learning walks, staff meetings and book looks.

Effective use of educational visits, local fieldwork and visitors are planned to enrich and enhance our pupils’ learning experiences within the geography curriculum. Teachers are also encouraged to use a range of resources such as videos, photographs, compasses and newspaper articles during lessons to help create immersive learning experiences.

Impact

The impact of our geography curriculum is measured in a number of ways: pupil voice surveys about their learning, questioning during lesson time, assessment of written work, end-of-unit quizzes and photos and videos of practical learning.

By the end of their time at Preshute, children will have progressed through our well-sequenced geography curriculum of knowledge and skills. Our curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic geography learners who have a wide range of geographical vocabulary, a knowledge of their place within the world and curiosity about the world around them. We intend that by the end of KS2, children will have the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to advance their geography learning journey in KS3.