Geography

Together We Make Learning A Memorable, Unmissable Adventure

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Approximately 30 hours is allocated to geography annually in key stage 2. (15 in key stage 1 so that basic skills development including reading and PSHCE can be prioritised)

Intent

We want all learners to reach at least the expected National Curriculum standard by the end of year 6 and to be keen to continue their studies in key stage 3 and beyond. We want learners to be able to see themselves as geographers.

The geography lesson should be one our learners look forward to and greet with enthusiasm. They should leave lessons wanting to find out more.

When studying geography, learners will draw on their developing learning habits, making progress in their ability to persevere, work effectively as a team, respect and celebrate difference, ask questions and create. We want learners to be interested in the world they are growing up in, aware of the importance of stewardship and of global and local issues. We aim to give pupils a broad range of knowledge about their world, combined with curiosity and the skills to be able to find out more.

Our curriculum ensures that pupils can explore 7 key concepts from EYFS to year 6 building knowledge and understanding of: space, place, environment, Interconnection, scale, sustainability and change.

Implementation

Where possible links are made between study in other subject areas and geography. We draw on learners’ own experiences and interests. In key stage 2 pupils work together throughout the year to explore: ‘Fridays for the Future’

Our curriculum moves from the local area, to the United Kingdom and beyond, using picture books and stories in key stage one to explore places we may never visit, and the lives of others. We take advantage of trips and visits in other curriculum areas asking:

• What is this place like?

• Who lives here?

• How is this place like other places I have visited? In what ways is it different?

• Why is this place like this?

The curriculum is organised to enable learners to revisit and explore, with greater maturity, themes of Locational and place Knowledge; Human and Physical Geography; Geographical Skills and Fieldwork including using maps, atlases and globes.

Key vocabulary has been identified, alongside enrichment opportunities including trips and visitors.
The reading scheme includes high quality non-fiction to support learning in geography.
Themes are revisited, and teaching makes links to what has already been learnt and what will be learnt next.
Continuous provision and direct teaching in EYFS is carefully planned to prepare pupils for the national curriculum.
A progression document is in place to support the assess, plan, do review cycle
Teachers are careful to avoid cognitive overload by planning learning in small steps with time to develop understanding and spaced retrieval to aid long term memory
Learners understanding of settlements, connectivity, ability to use maps and atlases and knowledge of human and physical geography are secured by revisiting to develop a strong foundation for the next phase of education.

Assessment, Recording and Reporting

In all subjects there are three broad areas for assessment:

Children’s knowledge and understanding
How well children can use and apply their knowledge, understanding and skills at the end of a unit of work to complete an independent (of an adult) task or challenge.
How well learners are developing habits for learning and character

Teachers assess learner’s work, their attitudes, increasing skills, knowledge and understanding, by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. This assessment enables planning to be tailored to meet learners needs. Assessment encompasses teacher, peer and self-assessment. In all subjects, opportunities for both Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning are built into provision. Learners are supported to reflect on their own learning and, age appropriately, to make judgements about their strengths and needs, beginning to plan how to make progress and set personal targets.

Baseline assessment, in order to understand pupils’ prior learning, is an essential part of planning to ensure new learning is relevant and progress can be assessed.

The learners work, in particular baseline assessments and end of unit assessments, which are recorded within learners’ workbooks are used to make decisions at the end of each unit, and at the end of each year, as to next learning steps and whether or not learners are making strong progress and are on track for end of key stage expectation.

Progress is recorded and reported to parents as part of the child’s annual school report.

Special Educational Needs

Geography is taught to all children, whatever their ability, in accordance with the school curriculum policy of providing a broad and balanced education to all children. Teachers provide learning opportunities matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties

Impact

Prior to the pandemic:

Pupils made good progress in geography to achieve at least ARE by the end of year 6.

Continuous provision and direct teaching in EYFS prepared pupils well for the national curriculum.
All children used geographical vocabulary accurately and understood the different strands of geography, with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
Children made relevant links from geography to other curriculum subjects, such as history and science.
Children could speak confidently about their learning in geography and were keen to make a difference in the world.
Those working at greater depth were able to make connections between units of study. They went beyond the knowledge studied and asked questions to further their understanding.
Previous pupils have been inspired to study an aspect of geography at university.

Initially, as a result of the pandemic pupils have:

had fewer opportunities to explore concepts and address misconceptions through talking and questioning – not all learning is secure.
had a variety of experiences when home learning and accessed set learning differently.
had fewer opportunities for collaboration and fieldwork due to restrictions

By following the assess, plan, do, review cycle teachers will continue to identify areas which need more or less focus over the next 2 years and support all pupils to make strong progress from starting points.

Next steps 23/24

Further develop fieldwork opportunities locally to support learning within units.

The national Curriculum

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:
- 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.

EYFS

Foundation stage

Learners in foundation stage are taught within a mixed age class. They actively engage with the geography curriculum through play.

Curriculum End Points, Enquiry questions and Key Knowledge within units of work

These indicate what we want the children to know and the key geographical skills we want them to be confident in by the end of each unit. They are organised around the key areas identified in the National Curriculum.

ALL ABOUT ME Houses and Homes/ our local area

Accordion content

OUR WONDERFUL WORLD ( UK & Surrounding Seas/ London and landmarks)

Accordion

OFF TO THE SEASIDE UK and Surrounding Seas (features on coast)

Hot and cold places

HOT AND COLD PLACES

IN THE GARDEN

: IN THE GARDEN Human and Physical (weather patterns)/ Mapping

INto THE WILD AND INTO THE PAST

magical maps

On safari - Travels with my Bear

The River Nile

All around the world

Somewhere to settle

The UK and Early Settlements

Extreme earth – volcanoes and Earthquakes

Our changing nation- Leicester global city of culture

How does the weather change the world we live in?

Amazing Americas

Raging Rivers

Marvellous Maps

At the end of the unit of work on Marvellous Maps, the children were given a task where they had to draw on all their previous learning.

Magnificent Mountains

Look below to see how the children undertook a practical activity to help them learn about contour lines:

Below is an example of an end of topic assessment showing what the pupils have learnt throughout the Magnificent Mountains unit of work. These are on display for all to see!