Geography

Curriculum Statement: Geography

‘Excellence, Truth and Grace’

Geography Intent

At Middleton Parish Church School, our curriculum offers a structure and sequence of lessons that covers the skills required to meet the aims of the national curriculum. Our geography curriculum, in line with our school motto of 'Excellence, Truth, and Grace,' aims to develop children’s interest and a fascination of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The content allows for a broader, deeper understanding of the four areas of geography. It will develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places and understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, along with how they bring about variation and change over time. The units offer a range of opportunities for investigating places around the world as well as physical and human processes, improving children’s geographical vocabulary, map skills and geographical knowledge of place and location. They will also provide opportunities for consolidation, challenge and variety, to ensure interest and progress in geography.

Geography Implementation

We offer clear progression across school in all strands of the geography National Curriculum: locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, and geographical fieldwork. For example, children in Key Stage 1 will begin to use maps and developing mapping skills such as understanding keys and using directional language. They will identify physical and human features of the school building and the local area whilst gaining an understanding of fieldwork. In Key Stage 2, map skills are developed further using digital and OS maps and will develop and use their fieldwork skills and investigate the wider world. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, our curriculum helps children build on prior knowledge embedding knowledge into their long-term memory alongside introducing new skills and challenge. Across both key stages, children have a range of opportunities to experience geography through practical engaging tasks beyond the classroom to ensure our geography curriculum is accessible to all children. At Middleton Parish, we endeavour to provide high quality teaching and learning for all pupils, regardless of age phase, ability and social advantage. Geography is inclusive for every child and all children have access to the geography curriculum to ensure suitable progress is made in the subject. Pupils with SEN are given appropriate support including scaffolded, simplified or modified tasks and TA support, along with the more able pupils being given further challenge. Children will improve their enquiry skills and inquisitiveness about the world around them, and their impact on the world. All children will realise that they have choices to make in the world, developing a positive commitment to the environment and the future of the planet. Children will become competent in collecting, analysing and communicating a range of data gathered. They will be able to interpret a range of sources of geographical information and they will communicate geographical information in a variety of ways.

Geography Impact

Ultimately, at Middleton Parish we want children to know more, remember more and understand more. All learning builds towards clearly defined end points and continually builds upon prior learning. The quality of work in children’s books demonstrates appropriate pitch and challenge with clear evidence of progression from year group to year group. Through well-constructed and well-taught Geography lessons lead to good results because those results reflect what children have learned. Pupil voice during lessons will provide evidence that pupils are able to talk with confidence and enthusiasm about what they have learnt in geography using subject specific vocabulary. Our consistent approach to assessment ensures that we are clear on what the outcomes are for all children, including disadvantaged children and children with SEND, again ensuring adaptive teaching is utilised outcomes are suited to individual needs. By the end of each year, children should be able to apply the knowledge, skills and vocabulary learned to build on their role as a ‘world geographer’.

Curriculum - Geography.