The Vision for Our Geography Curriculum

Our Geography Curriculum Intent

Our aim at Newsome Junior School is to inspire children’s curiosity, interest and appreciation for the world that we live in. We intend to equip children with the geographical knowledge to develop their skills through studies of places, people and natural and human environments.

As geographers, pupils are exposed to a rich and balanced curriculum that provides them with essential component knowledge and new vocabulary. As pupils progress through the school, they will develop an insight into the links between physical and human processes and how landscapes and environments have changed and continue to change over time. Through ‘Big Ideas’ such as: ‘The Scale of the World’ and ‘Sustainability and the Environment’, children will learn their role as global citizens and their place within the world.

Subject leader schemes of work identify the most essential knowledge for children with any special educational needs.  This enables us to make sure that all children are exposed to and receive a high quality geography curriculum.

Our Geography Curriculum Implementation

At Newsome Junior School, we begin each geography lesson with a learning challenge question, designed to promote curiosity. The learning challenges are carefully crafted to ensure they make sense to the learners and be something that is within their immediate understanding.

Our geography curriculum has been developed in a way that links to our history curriculum. By this, we mean there are elements of geography woven in to our history units, where appropriate.  However, we of course recognise the importance of teaching geography in its own right.

In some year groups, in particular LKS2, geography units follow on from history units.  We have sequenced it this way so that the key knowledge learnt in history provides a meaningful context for the geography units which follow. In UKS2, all geography is taught at the end of the year. The geography units are explored thoroughly, ensuring that children develop a deeper understanding and depth to their learning. In the Autumn and Spring terms, geography ‘Smart Flashbacks’ are also included to ensure that children are regularly being exposed to prior learning so that they are remembering what has previously been taught.

Children are given access to a range of resources to develop learning through atlases, digital technology, books, photographs and a range of maps.

Through our geography curriculum, children have opportunities to investigate and interpret a range of geographical locations in Britain and across the wider world. We encourage children to become geographers through collecting, analysing and communicating through discussion our findings. Where possible, we ensure cross curricular links with maths and literacy. Geography provides excellent opportunities to support all learning abilities through investigations, outdoor learning and analysing data. We are incredibly fortunate to have a vast amount of outdoor space, including woodlands to allow children to be ‘hands on’ with the environment.

Our Geography Curriculum Impact

Our geography curriculum offers high quality and well planned lessons, which are progressive in nature. Geographical questioning helps pupils to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of the world and its people.  Schemes of work explicitly set out the essential knowledge and disciplinary skills of geography to be taught. By introducing children to conceptual themes such as the ‘Big Ideas’, we are able to assess children’s understanding of geography. It also helps us identify areas in which we need to encourage deeper learning.

Through our curriculum, pupils learn to think critically and ask perceptive questions. In order to ensure our aims and intent have been met, we scrutinise what children have learnt through:

• Assessing children’s knowledge of key component learning as set out within schemes of work.
• Assessing the quality of children’s explanation of ‘Big Ideas’ themes.
• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice conversations).
• Moderation and scrutiny of pupil’s books and professional dialogue between teachers to assess the quality of children’s learning.
• Sharing good practice in staff meetings.
• Marking of written work in books against the school’s marking policy.