A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils 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, together with 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 deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.     

 National Curriculum 2014  

 Curriculum Intent  

  At St Patrick's Catholic Primary our Geography curriculum 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.  

 Curriculum Implementation  

 Our teaching and implementation of the Geography Curriculum is based on the National Curriculum, ensuring a well-structured approach to the subject.  

Detailed long and medium planning is in place to ensure engaging curriculum content and  
systematic revisiting of key concepts and bodies of knowledge to deepen learning.  

Vocabulary is explicitly taught in all units to ensure that geographical terminology is understood. These words are carefully chosen to ensure that they are transferred to other subjects.   

  
Throughout each block of study, teachers carefully plan to embed and assess the children’s  
knowledge using a range of retrieval strategies. These include extended writes,  
quick quizzes, use of knowledge organisers and self and peer assessment.   

Field trips are planned into the units including visits to our local area of Wellington, The Arthog Outreach Centre and Arthog Outdoor Activity Centre in Wales. We also discuss environmental issues and carry out litter collection and support our local charities.   

Enrichment opportunities are planned in throughout the year such as South Heritage Asian Week to further our links and understanding of our changing school community. Whole school assemblies take place to raise awareness of local, national and global issues. 

Below is on outline of our curriculum offer in Geography from EYFS to Year 6.   

EYFS  

In Understanding of the World children explore and talk about natural things going on around them e.g. notice the weather. Begin to understand the need to respect the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things. Talking about what they see, using a wide vocabulary. To continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people in different countries around the world. The children use a range of resources including weekly forest school sessions and stories, songs and rhymes within topic based learning. 

Key Stage 1  

Geographical skills and fieldwork skills will be taking place throughout the units.  

Weather and Seasons (Human and Physical Geography) 

Bangladesh (Place knowledge) 

Seaside (Human and Physical) 

Zambia (Place Knowledge) 

Hot and Cold Places (Human and Physical Geography) 

Local study Wellington (Place Knowledge) 

Key Stage 2 

Geographical skills and fieldwork skills will be taking place throughout the units.  

Volcanoes and Earthquakes (Human and Physical Geography) 

Egypt (Locational and place Knowledge) 

Climate zones (Locational knowledge, Human and Physical Geography) 

Mountains (Human and Physical Geography) 

Rivers (Human and Physical Geography) 

Rainforests (Locational knowledge, Human and Physical Geography) 

Map skills (Geographical skills and fieldwork skills) 

A study of a European Country (Locational Knowledge and place knowledge) 

Curriculum Impact  

Throughout each block of study, teachers carefully plan to embed and assess the children’s knowledge using a range of formative assessment strategies. These include retrieval questions, vocabulary assessments, extended writes, quick quizzes, use of knowledge organisers and self and peer assessment.  

A range of other activities take place across the year to measure the impact of learning in geography including marking written work, book looks, pupil interviews, staff meetings, annual reports to parents and learning walks. Assessment data is collected once a year and is analysed by Geography lead.