Geography Curriculum Statement of Intent

To develop children’s experiences, understanding, geographical skills and vocabulary.  We teach a creative and hands-on Geography curriculum to inspire children’s interest and curiosity about the wider world giving them the vital tools and cultural capital to become active and reflective members in the world.

Intent 
 

• To build a Geography curriculum that develops learning and results in the acquisition of Geographical knowledge and skills. This includes locational knowledge, place knowledge, physical themes, human themes and Geographical skills and enquiry. Children will know more, remember more and understand more. This will ensure progress in this subject.
• We aim to not only cover but also to exceed the depth and breadth of the National Curriculum.
• To provide a varied and diverse curriculum that interests our children and meets the needs of all backgrounds, cultures and abilities, including those with SEND needs.
• To create meaningful opportunities to link Geography to other subjects.
• To ensure units are taught in a logical sequence where children build on prior, core knowledge. This will allow children to make connections to different concepts such as weather, climate and environmental processes.
• Staff will follow their curriculum maps to ensure there is progression throughout the school and lessons follow a sequence that is pertinent to the topic.
• To fulfil the duties of the National Curriculum whereby schools must provide a broad and balanced curriculum. We promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, development of pupils and prepare them for their responsibilities for later life. e.g. conservation.
• We will monitor progress regularly through book looks, evidence of work and discussions with the pupils. We will ensure that all staff are kept informed of any changes within the Geography curriculum and that best practice is shared. 
• To monitor children progress in Geography and how they apply their learning throughout the curriculum.
• To build a Geographical curriculum that endorses the importance of outdoor learning (fieldwork); to build a curiosity for learning. 
• To provide all children with a balance of skills, key vocabulary and knowledge within a geographical context.

Implementation
 

•     Rising Stars scheme
  We use and adapt the Rising Stars scheme. Subject leader has listened to feedback from teachers whilst ensuring complete National Curriculum coverage. The scheme helps teachers with expert subject knowledge, while building in a progression of knowledge and skills, and creating hands-on creative learning opportunities.
•     Knowledge Organisers
  Children have access to core knowledge, vocabulary and meanings to understand Geography and to use these skills across the curriculum. 
• Recap prior learning
• At the beginning of each unit, teachers and pupils recap previous knowledge and skills learnt in prior modules to help them make connections and build on prior knowledge. At the beginning of each lesson, teachers and pupils recap prior knowledge through "Flashbacks".
•     Subject specific and content specific vocabulary
  Identified through knowledge organisers and highlighted to the children at the beginning of lessons. This vocabulary is revisited through "Flashbacks".
•     Provision in new EYFS framework
  Reception curriculum is included in our progression framework and carefully planned for to ensure there is a combination of progression and revisited learning between Reception and Year One. Reception children are given a secure grounding in the Prime Areas of learning, ensuring they have a good foundation on which to build through the specific areas, including ‘Understanding The World’. Areas of provision are enhanced to ensure children are exposed to vocabulary and they are able to develop their understanding of the world and their local area. 
•     British Values and PSHE
  Children will learn and revisit the importance of our world and how it should be treated through a range of cultural capital, experiences and themed weeks/days such as British Values week, Earth Day, Environmental Week etc. 
•     Cultural Capital
  We plan visits, visitors and involvement in the community activity to provide first-hand experiences for the children to support and develop their learning. This is often linked to Geography.