Intent

Our geography curriculum is designed to give all of our children a broad experience of locational and place knowledge, an understanding of physical and human geography, develop a range of geographical skills and carry out some fieldwork. We will do this by helping them:

• Develop a clear working knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both land and sea – including their main physical and human characteristics.
• Understand how these provide a geographical context for understanding how processes work in the world.
• Understand the processes that form key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about variation and change over time
• Be 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.
• Provide opportunities for children to explore the school’s learning behaviours of being proactive, determined, inventive and reflective through the teaching of geography.

Implementation

How is this subject planned?

• National Curriculum is taught in KS1 and KS2
• In the Early Years the Foundation Stage Curriculum is taught.
• Each phase (EYFS, Y1/2, Y3/4, Y5/6) has termly topic plans, each with subject content and skills to be taught in Geography.
• Geography and History are the main ‘drivers’ (lead subjects) for these topics.

How is this subject taught?

• Geography is taught in half-termly blocked units of work in each year group. Where appropriate, these are linked to other areas of the curriculum.
• Residential and other trips for Geography include: Minstead, Living Rainforest, local area map work.

Impact

How is this subject assessed

• By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the content, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study of the National Curriculum. Teachers make assessments against the skills progression accordingly – and keep track of any children who are not meeting these skills.
• Assessment of Geography is reported to parents in the annual report.

How is this subject monitored?

• This subject is in focus once every three years. When in focus there will be an action plan to develop the subject which will be monitored by governors on the curriculum committee.
• The subject leader is responsible for monitoring the planning, teaching and assessment of the subject. This is achieved through subject review staff meetings where learning and planning is shared and compared to skills progressions.