Geography

Intent

At Harpur Hill we offer a structure and sequence of lessons to help teachers ensure they have covered the skills required to meet the aims of the national curriculum. The content allows for a broader, deeper understanding of the four areas of geography identified in the curriculum. It will develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places and understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, along with how they bring about variation and change over time. We intend to develop children’s curiosity and a fascination of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The geography topics offer a range of opportunities for investigating places around the world and locally in our home town of Buxton and the wider Peak District whilst incorporating physical and human processes. The lessons are intended to improve children’s geographical vocabulary, map skills and geographical facts and provide opportunities for consolidation, challenge and variety to ensure interest, enthusiasm, relevance and progress in geographical study.

Implementation

In Nursery, Reception and KS1, children begin to use maps and recognise physical and human features to do with the local area, building to using maps to explore the continents and oceans of the world in year 2. Further, in year 2, children will begin to compare where they live to places outside of Europe and ask and answer geographical questions. In KS2, map skills are developed further using digital maps, more keys and symbols and children begin to use more fieldwork skills. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, our lesson plans and resources help children build on prior knowledge alongside introducing new skills and challenge. All children expand on their skills in local knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork. Across both key stages, children have a range of opportunities to experience geography through practical engaging tasks beyond the classroom including local and wider visits. Our lessons are concluded with a ‘What I know now’ to give the teacher and adults leading geography confidence in the progression of skills and knowledge and that outcomes have been met. Key words are also promoted in each lesson to be used by children to deepen their geographical knowledge.

Impact

We promote geography learning so it is loved by teachers and pupils across school.  Teachers are supported to have high expectations of learning outcomes. Evidence is presented in books, through pupil voice and in the whole school geography record of evidence. All children will use geographical vocabulary accurately and understand the different strands of geography, with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Children will begin to make relevant links from geography to other curriculum subjects, such as history and science. They will improve their enquiry skills and inquisitiveness about the world around them, and their impact on the world. All children will realise that they have choices to make in the world, developing a positive commitment to the environment and the future of the planet. Children will become competent in collecting and recording data. They will be able to interpret a range of sources of geographical information such as maps and they will communicate geographical information in a variety of ways. Children will be able to speak confidently about their geography learning, skills and knowledge.