It is our intention that our Geography curriculum is aspirational, enabling and inclusive whilst encouraging all children to become curious about the world around them.  It is our intention to provide the children with an ambitious curriculum which develops them as geographers and widens their understanding of themselves and the world around them. Consequently, we intend children to:

• Secure an important geographical
• Perspective, through their growing knowledge of places, people, resources and physical and human processes.
• Understand the effect that geography has on our everyday lives and that without it, other events and subjects have much less meaning.
• Develop an understanding and appreciation of their local area and the wider world, enabling them to become important global citizens.
• Obtain sound locational knowledge of the world and an appreciation of the geographical features and events that make each place unique.
• Understand similarities and differences across the world and be able to use geographical vocabulary in order to discuss these.
• Be confident when using a variety of sources, including a range of maps and atlases.

 For further information, please refer to the NPAT Geography Narrative Document.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children start their Geographical learning in our Foundation Stage through their Knowledge and Understanding of the World. They will:

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussions, stories, non-fiction texts and maps
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories and non-fiction texts. Maps where appropriate.
• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons.

This foundational knowledge is then built upon when they enter Key Stage 1.

Building on the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Geography curriculum is underpinned by research in cognitive science and subject specific vocabulary is explicitly taught every lesson.

The curriculum has been carefully sequenced to ensure children obtain a secure understanding of key geographical concepts and knowledge. This is a knowledge-rich geography curriculum in which substantive knowledge is built upon and disciplinary knowledge is woven through.

Knowledge is given a high status and the aim is to empower our children and carefully build their understanding of the subject. The knowledge content is specified in detail and is taught to be remembered, not just encountered. Knowledge is sequenced and mapped deliberately and coherently through horizontal, vertical and diagonal links.

The vertical and horizontal links support the development of children’s geographical schema. E.g. In Year 6, children will learn about the natural resources of Africa which will be built upon in the next unit through a study of their distribution and UK trade links.

Vertical links are made where knowledge and understanding are built upon from previous geography units. The individual units of work provide a subject specific reading load and written outcome, where taught writing techniques can be applied.

There are also opportunities to make diagonal links to other disciplines which have been explicitly planned for.

Our Geography Curriculum builds knowledge through 11 high dividend concepts and these are returned to and revisited throughout the curriculum. These are:

1. Global links
2. Diversity
3. Global Warming/climate
4. Travel
5. Human Impact
6. Sustainability
7. Change
8. Commerce and trade
9. Community
10. Settlement
11. Locality and Environment

At East Hunsbury Primary School, Geography is taught alternate half terms, for one hour each week, in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  

The Geography Curriculum at East Hunsbury Primary School, is made accessible for all children and is adapted to meet the needs of individual pupils.  This may be done through pre-learning, scaffolded resources or targeted-adult support.

By the end of the curriculum, pupils demonstrate sound geographical knowledge and understanding and develop a curiosity and appreciation for their locality, the wider World and its people.

The impact of the Geography curriculum is assessed through a range of formative approaches including:

• Targeted questions,
• Pupil conversations and feedback,
• Weekly retrieval practice and quizzes,
• Practical application of disciplinary knowledge,
• Summative end of unit writing tasks.

Leaders will monitor the quality and impact of the Geography Curriculum at different stages, through lessons visits, book-looks, pupil voice and end of unit assessment grids and evaluations.