| Intent |
At St. Anne's, our Geography curriculum is designed to explore, inspire and enhance children’s curiosity and fascination about the Earth and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Children investigate a range of places – both in Britain and abroad – to help develop their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes. The cycle of lessons, carefully planned for progression, depth and fluency, enables children to develop investigative skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas. We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area of Coventry and beyond so that they can develop a real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area unique and special. We promote children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. We also aim to develop children’s ability to apply geographical skills to enable them to confidently communicate their findings and geographical understanding to a range of audiences. |
| Underpinned by... |
High expectations |
Modelling |
Fluency |
Vocabulary |
| All children are expected to succeed from their starting points, developing an enthusiasm and enjoyment of geographical learning and discovery. |
Teachers teach the knowledge and skills to succeed in Geography, providing examples and modelling high expectations. |
Children can apply and link their Geography skills to all areas of the curriculum and daily life. |
Subject specific vocabulary is taught, applied and built upon as topics are revisited to ensure understanding. |
| Implementation |
Curriculum coverage and progression Click here for more details) |
Geographical skills |
Enrichment |
Homework |
| The acquisition of key knowledge is an integral part of our Geography lessons. Topic knowledge organisers enable children to learn and retain the important, useful and powerful vocabulary and knowledge contained within each unit, outlining what they are going to learn. At St. Anne’s we follow the National Curriculum. |
Children develop an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like, both in the UK and wider world. They gain a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected. An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary is built up. |
Walks in the local area, field trips to sites of geographical and scientific interest and visits by local experts are all important parts of the curriculum. In Reception and Key Stage 1, weekly Outdoor Learning sessions allow pupils to develop their practical and independent learning skills. |
Homework may provide the opportunity for wider research, creativity or connection making. |
| Whole school events |
Support and challenge |
Questioning |
Cross-curricular links |
| All children take part in a range of Geography events, particularly centred around fieldwork. |
Teachers create a positive attitude to Geography learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children can achieve high standards. Children are supported and challenged in their learning. |
Carefully planned questioning encouraged deeper thinking and reasoning. Open questions are used to enable the pupils to explore their own ideas and clarify their thinking. We aim to follow children’s interests by incorporating their questions in our planning and learning. |
Geography is taught as a subject within a topic approach. When planning, we ensure that Geography is at the heart of each topic. Close links are developed with many other curriculum areas for example English, DT, History, Maths, Modern Foreign Languages, RE and Science. |
| Real life context |
Assessment |
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| Pupils develop the ability to apply questioning skills, carry out fieldwork, collect data and present their findings effectively. Children are taught to reach clear conclusions and explain their findings in a well-balanced manner. |
Formative assessments are made throughout the year. Teachers also make a summative judgement about the achievement of each pupil against the milestones for Geography in that year. At this point teachers decide upon a ‘best fit’ judgement as to whether the pupil has achieved and embedded the expected learning goals, exceeded expectations or is still working towards the goals. Each topic ends with a 'quiz' so teachers can see the level of understanding and knowledge retention for that particular topic. |
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Pupil voice |
Evidence in Knowledge |
Evidence in skills |
Outcomes |
| Impact |
Pupil voice is used to develop the Geography curriculum, through questioning of pupils’ views and attitudes towards Geography. Book scrutiny, professional dialogue and governor visits are all used regularly. |
Pupils show an understanding of both human and physical Geography, including how places are interdependent and interconnected. They show excellent fieldwork skills and fluent use of relevant vocabulary. |
Teachers ensure that skills are built and developed throughout children’s time at the school. Pupils can apply their knowledge of Geography when using equipment or conducting experiments and fieldwork. They continue to ask questions and be curious about the Earth and local surroundings. |
Pupils’ achievements reflect planned outcomes. Children achieve Age Related Expectations (ARE) at the end of their cohort year and are fully prepared for their next stage of learning. Children who have gaps in their knowledge receive appropriate support and intervention to ensure that progress is made. |
