Geography

Why is Geography important in our school?

The fundamental role that geography has is allowing children to understand the world, the environments of places in our own locality and those further afield, and the processes that create or change them. Studying geography gives us knowledge about different places on earth and shows us how they relate with each other. Geography also reveals the relationship between human beings and the environment, and how natural systems work. Learning about geography is important as it encourages us to become good citizens by allowing us to identify and appreciate national and international issues and respond to these. 

Geography is a subject which lends itself to an enquiry approach and this is in turn gives children many opportunities to learn skills which are transferable to different areas of the curriculum. Children can develop skills in asking and answering relevant questions, making observations and measurements, collecting and analysing data and drawing conclusions. 

What are the aims of teaching Geography? 

We aim for all pupils to:
•    Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
•    Understand geographical processes that form key physical and human geographical features of the world
•    Understand how these processes are interdependent and how they bring change over time
•    Be able to collect, analyse and communicate a range of data gathered through fieldwork 
•    Interpret a range of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
•    Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways.

How Geography is taught in our school?

Geography will be taught in alternate half terms, allowing for three topics per year group per year. 

Geography will be taught as a discrete subject in weekly lessons throughout a half term. Alongside this, opportunities will be taken for cross-curricular links to be made in other subject areas. As an example, children may use geography mapping skills when learning about the different world faiths in Religion.  

When possible, the learning in geography will be enhanced by enrichment activities such as field trips to locations which will enable children to make observations, take measurements and experience different environments. 

How do we ensure quality teaching and learning?

The curriculum for geography has been designed with careful thought to the children of our community. We want our children to be engaged in a knowledge rich curriculum as a context in which to learn and develop geographical skills, which would be transferable when studying different regions and processes:

•    Locational Knowledge
•    Place Knowledge
•    Human and Physical Geography
•    Geographical and Fieldwork skills

In EYFS, our youngest children will learn to interact with their environment, and how they can be influenced by the environment around them. In the strand of Understanding the World, topics are planned which allow children to make sense of their physical world by exploring and observing the community around them. Learning is child led, and the planned learning opportunities often change depending on the children’s own interests and questions.  

In KS1, topics are planned in sequence so that children learn about their own town of Shaw and make comparisons between it and other localities in the UK and Africa. They begin to use geographical vocabulary and terms. Weather systems are studied by making comparisons between hot and cold regions of the world. Children will be introduced to maps, atlases and globes, aerial photographs and plans, using the outdoor environment in the locality of school. 

In KS2, geographical skills are built on and knowledge of the world is extended. Children will explore aspects of human and physical characteristics of the UK, a European location, and places in North and South America. They will describe key aspects of locational knowledge and will explore natural processes which affect the environment. Where possible, opportunities will be given for children to experience outdoor learning by using fieldwork skills, so that children can learn about the environment from the environment. 

For each topic, objectives are set, which allow for clear progression of knowledge and skills, by giving opportunities to recap and build on prior learning. Teachers are given the flexibility to plan their own activities to fulfil these objectives as they best know the learning needs of the children in their class. Children will revisit their learning frequently by completing memory grids, which aim to reinforce learning.

What will children get from the teaching of Geography?
Children will know their place in the world, becoming more aware of their own culture and building an appreciation of other cultures. They will develop their curiosity about the world around them, and know the processes that affect our environment. Children will become good global citizens and will recognise how our planet is affected by the behaviour of humans and know the impact that they can have by the choices they make.

What we teach across the school in this subject: