Geography

At Kanes Hill Primary School, our Geography curriculum inspires pupils to explore the world around them and develop a curiosity about places, people, and environments. Through engaging lessons, children learn to ask questions, gather and interpret information, and make connections between local, national, and global contexts. Geography encourages pupils to think critically about environmental issues, human impact, and sustainability, while developing skills in map reading, fieldwork, and geographical enquiry.

Curriculum Statement

Intent

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.

Implementation

Using the National Curriculum, we will ensure that children receive a rich geography curriculum that build on skills and knowledge from Year 1 to Year 6. Geography will be taught in topics ensuring the integrity of the subject remains at the forefront. Geography knowledge organisers for geography are in place to ensure:

Secure geographical knowledge for staff
Accurate understanding of specific taught areas
Key knowledge & skills
Prior Links to prior geographical learning
Geography vocabulary
The integrity of each individual subject

Our geography topics will include our curriculum principles:

Enrichment/Enjoyment (e.g. learning from experts/map reading (OS maps and Google Earth)/extending learning outside in the local and wider community)
Depth & Challenge (A depth of experience is gained through learning skills-e.g. creating/ designing/ developing/ appraising/ questioning/ experimenting/comparing/drawing conclusions)
Quality Outcome which gives purpose to the learning (e.g. leaflet/PowerPoint)
Personalisation (Giving children choice and a passion for following own lines of enquiry- choose outcome/choice of resources/choose layout/choose study route)
Connections (e.g. links to prior geography topics/skills/knowledge)
Relevant to our children and context (Bespoke to Kanes Hill children e.g. looking at the geography of the local area: ‘Do You Live Around Here?’ Topic and relating to the country they live in.)
Purposeful (Identifying the purpose for learning and the intended outcome -real life audiences/real experiences)
Enquiry based/igniting curiosity (Enquiry questions/children asking questions/P4C)
Extended writing opportunity (In all units-site of application-giving children the opportunity to apply the skills learnt within different styles of writing)
Maths (Giving children the opportunity to develop and apply previously learnt maths skills e.g. data handling/number/tallying/measures) As with our other topics, each geography unit will commence with a hook (dress up day/trip/workshop) and end with an exit point (display of work/assembly)

Impact

At the end of the EYFS we want our children to know/understand:

To know about the world they live in.
To know about the community they live in.
Have age appropriate vocabulary to talk about the world/community they live in.

This will be evident to see through:

Using all of their senses in hands on exploration of natural materials.
Begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things.
Know that there are different countries in the world and talk about them.
Draw a simple map.
Begin to recognise differences and similarities between lives in other countries.
Explore the world around them.

At the end of Key stage 1 we want our children to know/understand:

To know about the world, the UK, and their local area.
To have vocabulary to describe human and physical features.

This will be evident to see through:

Naming and locating the world’s seven continents and five oceans.
Naming, locating and identifying characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas Place knowledge
Understanding geographical similarities and differences through studying the human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a contrasting non-European country Human and physical geography.
identifying seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles.
Using basic geographical vocabulary to refer to: key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather.
Understanding key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop Geographical skills and fieldwork.
Using world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
Using simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language (e.g. near and far; left and right) to describe the location of features and routes on a map.
Using aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key.
Using simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

At the end of Key stage 2 we want our children to know/understand:

To understand the UK, Europe, North and South America.
To develop understanding of the location and characteristics of the world’s significant human and physical features.

This will be evident to see through:

developing 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
understanding 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:
collecting, analyzing and communicating with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
interpreting a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
communicating geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length

Progression of Skills

geography progression of skills.pdf

Knowledge Organisers

Geography

Curriculum Statement

Intent

Implementation

Impact

Progression of Skills

Knowledge Organisers

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6