INTENT

At Everton Primary School, we believe Geography is an essential part of our curriculum; we don’t believe this is a stand-alone subject and is often taught throughout our English curriculum. Our intent is for our teachers to deliver the National Curriculum, promoting enthusiasm and curiosity so children have a real thirst for understanding of the world they live in. Our belief is that children should understand, and respect, the natural and human aspects of the world, knowing how to treat our world and the people in it with kindness. Our curriculum intends to make children aware of and understand local, national and international geography and will provoke children to ask and answer questions and provide them with opportunities to debate, so they can express their own feelings with honesty in a safe environment. At Everton Primary School, our aim is to deliver a curriculum which gives children the confidence to understand the importance of equity and diversity in our world and to know how diverse places, people, resources and natural environments are. We intend to create geographers who value teamwork but also can work with independence to explore a range of sources to help them learn more about the world.

IMPLEMENTATION

As we have 4 mixed classes at Everton, our Geography Curriculum has been designed on a 2-year rolling programme. This is to ensure all the National Curriculum is taught to all our pupils before they leave our school.

Geography is key part of the Early Years Foundation Stage as it is incorporated in every day learning. The geographical aspects of the children’s work relate to the objectives set out in the EYFS Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals relating to the area Understanding the World.

In Key Stage 1, our children will begin their learning by developing knowledge about their local environment and be able to identify the countries that make up the United Kingdom and their capital cities. Along with local geography, their knowledge will be extended to international geography where they will name and locate continents and oceans of the world. They will also begin to identify human and physical locations by looking at natural and man-made items in our local area of Everton.

Throughout Key Stage 2, our geographers will learn how to use globes, maps and digital maps to develop an understanding about the world. They will learn how to locate countries, mountain ranges and rivers on a map and will learn the similarities and differences in the physical and human features in places around the world. Our children will learn how to use keys on maps and develop the important understanding of fieldwork and what it entails.

The way in which we implement our curriculum:

• The standards for Geography have been mapped out on our progression document, ensuring children year on year develop their locational and place knowledge, human and physical geography knowledge and geographical knowledge and fieldwork.
• Geography is not taught every week of each term; instead, it has been blocked into half-terms, terms where a particular key unit is taught (see progression maps and long-term plans).
• Teachers use standards and break these down into smaller learning objectives; these are mapped out on Medium Term Plans, which develops sequential and cumulative learning and progression.
• In a geography lesson, there will be: 1. Revisit and review, 2. Vocabulary development, 3. Teacher input (modelling), 4. Learning task and 5. Assessment of learning and review of the lesson.
• Within our lessons, a key component is to review previous learning, allowing children to understand their learning journey and giving them the confidence to be able to articulate their understanding and link learning together. Learning is reviewed in a range of ways: quizzes, games and mini assessments. Teachers also review through morning starter activities. This keeps learning refreshed and supports their long-term retention.
• Vocabulary is an integral part of our Geography curriculum; we believe it is crucial we give our children the language to talk like geographers, developing ambition to one day become a geographer. All children are given knowledge and vocabulary mats at the beginning of each new unit; this shows the golden nuggets of information along with key vocabulary we want the children to know. This vocabulary is then driven throughout the unit, ensuring children have a clear understanding of it and are equipped to use it.
• Knowledge and vocabulary mats are also used as one assessment tool at the beginning, during and at the end of a unit of Geographical learning so teachers can assess progression in knowledge and skills. Teachers also assess each lesson’s Learning Objectives and will indicate if learning has required support or has been carried out with independence. Along with teachers assessing learning, children are also required to show independence by assessing their own learning.
• When a Geography unit is studied, throughout all classrooms, a learning journey is displayed, displaying a build up of knowledge and skills and allowing the children a key point of reference to review their learning.

IMPACT

The amazing Geographers of Everton Primary School will (by the end of Year 6):

• Know how to compare and contrast similarities and differences of human and physical geography.
• Know about climate change and how humans are affecting this.
• Know about erosion, natural energy, minerals and water.
• Know how to use globes, maps and digital computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.
• Know what fieldwork is and how to use it to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in an area.
• Be able to carry out fieldwork while working as a team.
• Know how to use a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.
• Know it our responsibility, as humans, to showing kindness to our everchanging world, ensuring we are respectful and know ways in which we can look after it.
   

The impact of our curriculum will show our children know more as they progress throughout each year. We will have equipped our children with the knowledge and skills to use as they move into Year 7.

Our Progression Document, Long Term and Medium Term plans display the learning for each point throughout our Geography Curriculum.