Intent
Our intent is to provide our children with an engaging, exciting and text rich curriculum that allows them to develop as confident responsible citizens equipped with the skills that will allow them to be successful in our ever-changing world, both in the present and the future.
We believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time in our lives. We constantly provide enrichment opportunities (memorable experiences) to engage learners and develop their cultural capital which has been recognised as essential if children are to succeed.
We believe that our children should not only reach their best academically, but also develop a thirst for knowledge, foster a love of learning and leave our school with independent learning skills.
We are fully committed to developing each child's unique potential within a secure and caring environment.
Within geography, we believe that children should develop an understanding, and love of, the world around them. Our geography curriculum is designed to encourage children to ask and enquire about the natural and the human world. Throughout their time at school, children are given opportunities to explore the world around them through memorable experience visits and fieldwork.
These experiences, along with lessons within school, ignite an enthusiasm to learn.
Geography is embedded in the processes and people around us that form our environment. We want our pupils to develop a deep understanding of the natural and human environments, alongside an understanding of the physical and human processes which form these. By providing pupils with the key knowledge, we enable them to develop the skills required to understand and navigate our world.
Implementation
Our pupils leave with all of the knowledge and skills required to be competent and enthusiastic geographers. Our curriculum has been rigorously planned, with the support of Chris Trevor, an advisor for Geography, to ensure that the knowledge children have is built upon not only each year, but each term and within every geography lesson. Knowledge within our geography curriculum is split into locational, place, human and physical. These are mapped out across the year groups to ensure progression.
From this knowledge, children can also develop the key skills in each strand of the geography curriculum. These skills are applied during fieldwork both on site and during memorable experience visits. Children carry out fieldwork in every year. Not only does this develop their geographical skills, but also their understanding of the world around them. Based on their fieldwork, children produce maps which also develops their sense of the key concepts of place, space and environment.
Geography is taught through blocks which supports children to develop mastery of the subject. Children working at greater depth are able to revisit their learning and delve deeper into the topic.
At the beginning of each topic, initial assessments are completed to determine prior knowledge and ensure that progression is consistent. Children are involved in the planning process through child led planning and this is used to inform teachers’ planning and guarantee that learning is driven by children’s interests. This further develops their enthusiasm for the topic. Knowledge organisers are completed by the children as they develop through the subject and this along with quizzes, assessments and end of topic reflection pages support the children in retaining information.
Impact
As well as monitoring of attainment, the impact of effective geography teaching is clear in the children’s ability to apply their knowledge to fieldwork in each year group.
The impact of geography is also evident within the opportunities we provide to develop cultural capital. We do this across the curriculum and throughout the school by:
Incorporating memorable experiences into every topic, which allow exploration of people and landscapes
Fieldwork in the local area
Topics regarding current global issues, such as climate change and plastic in the oceans
Geography Progression and Vocabulary Document currently under review
National Curriculum Objectives
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