Geography

Our Intent

Our intent at Heather Garth Primary School is to enable pupils to develop their understanding of physical and human geography through an enquiry-based learning approach, which broadens their knowledge of the wider world around us. Pupils will experience different parts of the world through their geography lessons and become increasingly knowledgeable and interested in the countries that contrast to the area in which we live. Throughout their time at Heather Garth Primary Academy, pupils will travel the world whilst in the classroom, learning about Geography in a range of different contexts. As a school, we believe it is important for pupils to be curious and interested in the world around them. The three ‘Golden Threads’ we have chosen for our Geography curriculum, which we feel will provide coherence throughout and support pupils in building knowledge and making learning stick are:

1: My place in the world.

2: Interconnectivity.

3: Sustainability.

Implementation

At Heather Garth Primary Academy, Geography is taught once a term– pupils complete three units over a year. Teachers are clear about what they need pupils to learn and how this builds on prior learning. 

In the Early Years it is the first opportunity to see how a child interacts with their environment and how the environment influences them. Staff follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework which aims to guide children, to make sense of their physical world and their community by allowing them to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment – this is the first step of becoming a geographer.

In KS1 and KS2, Teachers maintain strong links to the National Curriculum guidelines to ensure all aspects, knowledge and skills of Geography are being taught across all year groups.

• Geography lessons are planned coherently, using our knowledge and skills progression document and key enquiry questions, to build pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and the interaction between physical and human processes through quality first teaching.
• Pupils build geographical expertise from their local area to the wider world. This includes locational knowledge, understanding of human and physical features and geographical and fieldwork techniques.
• Opportunities to develop skills and fieldwork using maps and atlases (both physical and digital) will be provided for all pupils. Fieldwork allows pupils to apply geographical skills in a real-life setting and explore their local area and the features within it.
• From EYFS up to the end of KS2, pupils will be taught various geographical terms both in our local area and worldwide.
• All lessons are planned so that knowledge is taught across the year group; skills are progressed across the key stage and connections made to prior learning.

Impact 

Pupils’ learning is assessed informally in each lesson and teachers plan responsively to next steps. Teachers discuss prior learning at the beginning of lessons so that key knowledge is embedded. Teacher’s make an end of unit judgement on each are taught. Geography is also monitored through: book looks, lesson observations and/or learning walks, pupil and/or staff voice.  This provides an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in Geography.

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