Geography Curriculum Statement
“I looked at books, I looked at maps, I looked at atlases, I enjoyed that, but the thing that inspired me most of all was being taken from the school into the local area to look at nature, to look at the way the land looked, to understand the geography, to walk up little hills and streams and see how the ecological system worked, look at the environment.”
Geography is a statutory subject of the National Curriculum. At Fairhaven CE VA Primary School, geography is taught as a discrete subject in Key Stage 1 and 2. In the Early Years Foundation Stage it is incorporated into the Knowledge of the World strand of learning.
| Intent | |||||
Geography is essentially an understanding of the world we live in, helping to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. At Fairhaven CE VA Primary, our intent is that the geography curriculum should inspire a lifelong curiosity and fascination about our world, its people, and our role in sustaining it. We aim to promote an interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Through our teaching, we also enable our pupils to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other subjects within the curriculum. The school’s location in the heart of the Norfolk Broads provides numerous fieldwork opportunities and community links. This ensures the children develop an awareness of their local area and intends to capture the children’s natural curiosity through what they can observe around them. We intend to show them how they show respect for the local environment. As a result, world wide comparisons can easily be made and this in turn promotes respect and understanding of cultures different to their own. We believe that our curriculum promotes practical skills. It promotes geographical enquiry and engagement within the local environment to ensure that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Above all it aims to provide children with the firm foundations and knowledge for understanding the world so that they become confident global citizens. Teachers at Fairhaven CE VA Primary work together to plan an ambitious geography curriculum that has a clear and coherent sequence of learning. | |||||
| Implementation | |||||
Curriculum planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. Teachers use CUSP resources to inform their planning and teaching. Within Key Stage 1, the children develop their knowledge of the world, the United Kingdom and their locality along with the use of subject-specific vocabulary related to human and physical geography. In Key Stage 2 the children extend their knowledge of the world beyond the local area, recognising the locations of some of the world’s most significant human and physical features. It is important that the children develop their skills as a geographer by fully immersing them in all areas of the subject, therefore the local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with opportunities to learn outside the classroom, most notably in regular Forest School sessions and visits to the Norfolk Broads. Within our knowledge-rich approach, there is a strong emphasis on people and the community of our local area. All learning begins with the retrieval of prior knowledge which is carefully supported to enable the children to develop connections to their previous learning. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. Outcomes of work are monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. Cross curricular outcomes in geography are specifically planned for, with strong links between the geography and science curricula along with English lessons which enable further contextual learning. Reading is embedded into the curriculum through the planned use of quality texts. | |||||
| Impact | |||||
By the end of Key Stage 2, the children will know more, understand more and remember more about geography and the world and be motivated and inspired to continue their learning as they progress into Key Stage 3. The children will: -display confidence and enjoyment in geography -use and apply skills across the curriculum, making meaningful connections in purposeful contexts -have an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like -have an excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated -have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary -be more fluent in geographical enquiry, the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques -have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop reasoned arguments to explain findings -have developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques -have a sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there. -have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment -develop a range of life skills, which they can use and develop beyond school life Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Through various fieldwork activities, enquiry questions and themed units of work children will have the understanding that geography impacts upon our lives daily. |
Please take a look at our two year Geography Curriculum Overview.
Geography-Overview.docx