Subject Leader: Mr Toby Gilkes

Intent

“Geography underpins a lifelong “conversation” about the earth as the home of humankind.’

Geography Association

It is our intent for the Geography element of our school curriculum to inspire pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. Teaching should develop a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to understand the relationship between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.

We want all children to gain confidence and enjoy the practical experiences of geography. We are adamant that children who may be at risk of underachieving in geography, have their needs skillfully and consistently addressed. Children should have the skills to eloquently explain a range of aspects studied and have a broad vocabulary which can be applied across all units. Our intent is to nurture the children to become responsible global citizens who understand and are aware of the importance of looking after our planet, discussing issues such as sustainability and environmental issues. Children will have the opportunities to navigate the world by using compasses, globes and atlas’ as well as maps. They will analyse realistic representations of different countries in meaningful contexts to avoid the build up of stereotypes.

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
  • collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
  • interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
  • communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.​​

Implementation
At Okehampton Primary School, we implement a progressive geography curriculum which builds on prior knowledge and skills year on year. Pupils will revisit geographical skills and knowledge in order to embed and deepen understanding, and at the start of each unit, they have an opportunity to show what they already know in an elicitation task. Consideration is given to how the wide range of abilities will be catered for within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported as part of the school’s commitment to inclusion. Children have access to knowledge organisers containing key language and information in order to support their learning and cross-curricular links are woven into a unit, providing pupils with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge in other subjects. 

Impact
The impact of our geography curriculum is that our pupils are equipped with the geographical skills and knowledge for life as an adult in the wider world and to enable them to be ready for the secondary curriculum. Pupils will be able to discuss their learning and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through a range of activities. Through their studies in geography, children will learn about the features, diversity, wonder and importance of our world and how it should be treated, setting them up to be responsible global citizens.
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