Click on the sections below to explore and learn more about the Geography curriculum at St Mary’s.
Intent: Why we teach Geography
At St Mary’s we feel 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 and we have created a curriculum that will facilitate this. Through our teaching, we intend to 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 our 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 framework and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.
Implementation: How we teach Geography
The Geography curriculum is follows the school’s Geography Progression Document, which is in line with the EYFS Statutory Framework (PD and EAD) and National Curriculum. This is used to aid teaching staff in their subject knowledge, organisation and delivery. Geography at St Mary’s is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children achieve depth in their learning. Each lesson builds upon previous skills and allows focused time for these to become embedded. Geographical concepts are revisited throughout the curriculum in order to support children to commit knowledge to their long term memory.
By the end of year 6, children will have geographical understanding of locational knowledge and place understanding, fieldwork, human and physical features, enquiry skills and globes, maps and plans. New geographical vocabulary is present throughout all teaching of geography. In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout our school. The students start to learn about their locality and where they live understanding Radcliffe as their town where they live. This moves onto learning about the UK, Europe and finally countries across the world drawing comparisons between them.
Planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. 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 regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. Within our knowledge-rich approach, there is a strong emphasis on people and the community of our local area.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.
Impact : What Geography gives to our children
At St Mary’s we ensure that all students are exposed to rich learning experiences both in and out of the classroom that aims to:
- Overcome the vocabulary deficit by exposing students to a range of vocabulary regularly and ensuring the understanding of words in context.
- Develop the use of geographical language and vocabulary through oracy.
- Promote collaboration and developing a general sense of enquiry, which encourages them to question and make suggestions.
- Build on our student’s natural curiosity and develop a geographical awareness of their surroundings but also what is in the wider world.
- Create a culture of high aspirations which will allow our students a platform to learn about careers related to geography in the wider community with specialist skills and knowledge, ensuring that they are well prepared for the next steps of their education.
- Develop an interest in the past and an appreciation of human achievements and aspirations.
Assessments are based on teacher judgement, whereby, in each session, any children who are not meeting lesson objectives, and those who are exceeding and performing at a higher level are recorded and targeted for future support in subsequent lessons. These weekly assessments will not only inform future sessions but will also provide a half termly overview of children’s progress within their year group’s expected outcomes.
In the EYFS observations are recorded in the children’s personalised online learning journey- Tapestry. Pupils are assessed within EAD as well as PD. Progress is tracked and age related expectations are reported to parents at the end of the year. Pupil Voice plays an important role in the children’s enjoyment, engagement and development and crucially, within a lesson, children are given time to reflect on their learning and take part in self, peer and group feedback.
Mrs Brown- History and Geography Lead
