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The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:
At Corpus Christi Primary School our intent is to provide a high-quality geography education, which ensures depth and breadth and teaches knowledge and skills progressively, providing plenty of opportunities for our children to build upon and embed previous knowledge; in addition to this, we are passionate about enriching our children’s lives through experiences that they might not otherwise have and expanding their vocabulary so that they are able to engage with the full curriculum. Through geography lessons, our curriculum aims to ignite our children’s curiosity about their locality, the United Kingdom and the wider world. Through finding out about current climate issues, children understand how individuals and countries have an impact on the environment and make choices about how to live more sustainably. Children understand that through geography, we can learn about our own place in the world, our culture and values and those of others, and their rights and responsibilities to other people. Teaching equips pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, interpret geographical information, conduct fieldwork and have a first-hand knowledge of the world through enrichment and fieldwork opportunities.
Children spend a term focussing on a geography topic in order to gain a deep and broad understanding. Within lessons, children have the opportunity to ask and answer questions about the human and natural world. Expand their vocabulary in relation to their world and use this widely. They develop their knowledge of places and environments throughout the world, an understanding of maps, and a range of investigative and problem-solving skills, drawing on resources within the local area. Pupils have opportunities to learn about and discuss current climate issues and develop their understanding of living sustainably, helping them to become responsible global citizens. Through fieldwork and opportunities to learn within the outdoors, children develop an appreciation of the natural world.
In Year One, our pupils build on their experiences from Early Years, focusing on developing their knowledge of their own local area, basic map reading skills and human and physical features of a locality. In Year Two, children begin to develop a broader understanding of the United Kingdom and how our locality compares to other areas of the world. Geography has been structured with a sense of proximity to Coventry. Key Stage 1 starts with the immediate area, before moving to the city of Coventry and England’s coast. It finishes with an understanding of the United Kingdom and a comparison with a country in a different continent. Our first geography topic in KS2 is Europe (developing the concept that a group of countries can form a continent). Studies then move to two different continents before covering a larger global topic.
Each topic is centred around values questions which are used to assess children’s knowledge. Our curriculum teaches both the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that children need to be successful geographers; the skills are divided into the categories of ‘Investigating Places’, ‘Investigating Patterns’ and ‘Communicating Geographically’. Skills within each area, build sequentially. Every geography topic is enriched by visits within the local area, fieldwork or cultural enrichment days which we feel is vital for the children at Corpus Christi.
Teachers use end of unit knowledge quizzes and half termly knowledge checks to assess children’s understanding of their current unit as well as their review previous learning. They then use these to inform future planning and interventions so that we are able to support children in filling in any gaps they may have and support children in retaining previous learning.
Upon leaving Key Stage 1, children will have developed a strong knowledge of their local area and the countries of the United Kingdom and by the end of Key Stage 2, they will be able to locate continents, oceans, countries and cities around the world with confidence. Pupils will confidently be able to explain aspects of human and physical geography; use maps and atlases, and understand the negative impact of climate change and their personal responsibilities as global citizens. Well-constructed and well-taught lessons will provide pupils with opportunities to develop research and fieldwork skills and create curious, enthusiastic learners, who show independence and resilience. Throughout the Key Stages, children will widen their vocabulary and in-turn be able to use key topical vocabulary widely within the curriculum and confidently explain its meaning.
Knowledge and skills will have developed progressively to not only enable learners to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare pupils to become competent geographers in secondary education. Pupils will have thoroughly enjoyed learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to have a life-long passion for the natural world and an ongoing curiosity about our global climate, and different cultures, environments and societies.
