Intent

Here at Spring Gardens, we want our children to love Geography! We want them to develop a greater understanding of the world and their place in it, and we will cultivate their curious minds to ask questions about the natural and human world.

Geography is delivered as a discrete subject throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 and teachers make it explicit to the children that they are learning geography skills. Our school’s curriculum is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before. Our aim is for the children to acquire a range of investigative and problem-solving skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can be used to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, along with our school values of Resilience, Empathy, Self-awareness, Positivity, Excellence, Communication and Teamwork. We also intend for children to become passionate and knowledgeable about our local community and beyond, by learning through experiences in practical and fieldwork activities.

• Spring Gardens Primary School Geography Curriculum Overview

Implementation 

Our Geography Curriculum has been created to show progression from Nursery to Year 6. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and the National Curriculum. The subject is explicitly taught in years 1 to 6, over three half terms throughout the year, and units are blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth.

Our Geography curriculum is designed so that children start with ‘themselves’ and their school or local area, before working out to areas or regions of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. We have developed a progression of skills across the year groups, which enables pupils to build on and develop the knowledge, skills and vocabulary needed to move on in their learning. 

Location and place knowledge, human and physical geography, and fieldwork and map work are woven throughout the Geography topics.  Effective use of educational visits, local fieldwork and visitors are planned where possible, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experiences within the Geography curriculum. At the start of each unit, children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.  In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to review the learning that has taken place in previous units as well as previous lessons.

Assessment in Geography is ongoing throughout each unit and Target Tracker is used to record progress termly. This informs teachers and enables them to plan engaging and challenging lessons in subsequent terms or years. 

Impact

Through careful planning and consideration given to progression, along with opportunities for outdoor experiences where appropriate, our aim is for children to develop as geographers and be aware of the skills they need to become one. The impact of this geography curriculum design will lead to good progress over time across key stages, relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will become enthusiastic Geography learning is evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice, the children's work and displays across the school.  Upon leaving Spring Gardens Primary School, children will be equipped with the skills, knowledge and understanding to confidently continue their Geography learning journey and to develop their fascination with the world around them.