Geography
At St Philip’s Catholic Primary School, Geography is taught both within the context of a topic and in discreet lessons.
Early Years: Children will develop an understanding of the world around them through play and topic learning.
Key Stage 1: Pupils will develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They should understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their location awareness.
Key Stage 2: Pupils will extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and the wider world. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They will develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their location and place knowledge. They will undertake field work on visits which will then be followed up in the classroom.
Our curriculum intent for Geography
Our intent for the Geography curriculum are:
- To help children acquire and develop the skills and confidence to advance their geographical understanding.
- To develop an understanding and use of geographical language to communicate their understanding of the world around them.
- To stimulate the children’s interest in and curiosity about their surroundings.
- To nurture a sense of wonder about the world.
- To understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time.
- To develop the children’s knowledge, to encourage a sense of responsibility for the environments and people of the world we live in, so they will think about how it can be improved and sustained.
- To develop a sense of place and identity by learning about the United Kingdom and its relationship with other countries.
The programmes of study for Geography are separated into KS1 and KS2. Our intent is for children in each key stage to foster their locational knowledge, build a greater understanding of place, learn about human and physical geography and develop geographical and fieldwork skills.
Early Years explore geographical themes and content through the ‘Understanding of the World’ strand of the EYFS curriculum. This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
We will implement these actions by…
At St Philip’s Catholic Primary, our Geography curriculum is underpinned by a broad range of stimulating topics designed to bring learning to life with the use of key texts, studies of our locality, mapping, school trips, studies of natural phenomena and different regions of the world and so on. Building on strong links with the National Curriculum, we foster an enquiry-based approach to children’s learning about understanding the physical and human aspects of our world.
Our medium term plans set out our termly topics developing geographical themes, making links with other curriculum subjects such as History, RE, Art, Science and English, where possible. These are identified on year group learning journeys and medium term plans. Geographical units taught across the academy are mapped out on our long term planning, with a planned progression of skills that ensures children consistently develop skills and knowledge, building on previous years and ensuring challenge for all.
Children’s work is showcased through high quality displays and assemblies. We hold a Geography Week each Spring Term alternating between countries/cities in the UK and those globally.
The impact of this learning will be...
EYFS – Understanding the World
By the end of their time at St Philip’s children will be able to:
Know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things.
Talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another.
KS1
By the end of their time at St Philip’s children will be able to:
Develop knowledge about the world, the UK and their locality
Understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography.
Use geographical skills , including first hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.
KS2
By the end of their time at St Philip’s, children will be able to:
Extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the UK and Europe, North and South America to include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features.
Develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.
Skills used in enquiry based approach
Primary National Curriculum – Key Stage 1 and 2 – Geography PDF