Geography

Intent

At St Sidwell’s C of E Primary and Nursery, our geography curriculum engages and motivates children to see the world through the eyes of young Geographers. Our Curriculum from Early Years to Year 6 focuses on the careful progression of both substantive and disciplinary knowledge to ensure that children become competent geographers.

Through the teaching of geographical skills, knowledge and understanding, children better learn about the interaction of human beings with their environments at a variety of scales from local to global.

We will deliver a curriculum that:

• Inspires a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people

• Equips children with an understanding of diverse places, people, resources and environments around them

• Allows children to build on prior learning about physical and human processes and the formation and use of landscapes and environments

• Develops an understanding that the Earth’s features are interconnected and change over time

• Encourages exploration of their own environment and challenges pupils to make connections between their local surroundings and that of contrasting settlements

• Uses the local area and community as well as the wider world to develop geographical skills and knowledge

• Sequentially builds upon children’s basic geographical knowledge.

Implementation

The ‘Connected Curriculum’ is implemented to ensure coverage and progression in all skills and knowledge relating to geography. Moreover, there is an opportunity within each session to revisit geographical skills that need further consolidation and to use new knowledge to enforce prior skills.

Educational visits enhance the children’s cultural capital and where applicable links to geography will be made to develop the children’s topical learning.

Our geography progression of knowledge is organised into the following main themes based on the geographical association recommendations: locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical knowledge and skills and fieldwork for each year group.

Geography is taught discretely, but with links to other curriculum areas. Each unit is allocated six hours over half a term. There will be three units each year. Every lesson begins with a formative assessment of the children’s prior knowledge and understanding using variety of retrieval strategies and the schema as a visual prompt. Following this, children are introduced to new ideas and learning, building up step-by-step over the unit.

Tier two and three vocabulary is taught within each unit and is reinforced throughout the year. Our Golden Threads are woven through the geography curriculum, linking Geography to the children’s lives, and encouraging them to explore their understanding of the world and cultural capital of their locality and the country.

Every unit has a formal end point which teachers use to assess the children's progress. This is then fed back to the subject lead in the form of an end of unit assessment sheet. The curriculum is led and overseen by the geography lead. A regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice will contribute to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further.

Impact

As children progress through St Sidwell’s C of E Primary they develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation for their local area and its place within the wider geographical context.

• Children will deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments.

• Opportunities for children to explore the outdoor learning environments, both within the school grounds and local community.

• Our children will be confident geographers and be able to clearly discuss their learning from past and current topics, as well as explain their next steps.

• Out-of-class opportunities ensure geography is ongoing and embedded ensuring children to take responsibility for looking after their environments and prepare them for their next steps.

• Children have a good general locational knowledge.

Geography Progression Map EYFS - Year 6

Whole School Geography overview