Geography
At Jesse Gray Primary School, our aim is to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world; in other words, to think like a Geographer.
We believe that our Geography curriculum provides children with important opportunities to ask and answer questions about natural and human environments - encouraging children to develop a greater understanding of our world and their place in it. We aim to build an awareness of how Geography shapes our lives at multiples scales and over time. We hope to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.
Intent
A Jesse Gray child will leave school with:
✓ The ability to think critically, ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence
✓ A range of fieldwork skills, to be progressively built upon year by year
✓ A deep interest and knowledge of their own locality and how it differs from of other areas of the world
✓ A growing understanding of geographical concepts, terms and vocabulary
✓ Clear progression of skills and knowledge within the following four strands, across each year group:
- Locational Knowledge
- Place Knowledge
- Human and Physical Geography
- Geographical skills and fieldwork
Implementation
We will implement the teaching of Geography through our whole school vision of ‘Inspire, Achieve, Challenge and Enjoy’. We will ensure the Geography curriculum:
✓ Develops age-appropriate, accurate knowledge of the location, physical and human characteristics of a wide range of globally significant places
✓ Provides a relevant geographical context to study and understand the actions of important geographical processes
✓ Has varied and in-depth planning of Geography, which links to our progression maps
✓ Provides access to a wide range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes and aerial photographs
✓ Develops skills in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) (software and interactive resources) which allow for digital mapping and analysis of data
✓ Promotes the use of geographical vocabulary which is appropriate, accurate and which develops and evolves from EYFS to KS1 and through to KS2
✓ Provides opportunities to collect, analyse and present a range of data, gathered through experiences of fieldwork, to deepen understanding of geographical processes
✓ References and makes links to the National Curriculum alongside the EYFS framework
✓ Promotes diversity through children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, helping them to have a greater understanding of their place in the world, and their rights and responsibilities to other people and the environment
Jesse Gray Primary School will ensure:
✓ Geography is timetabled once weekly, with strong cross curricular links being included in each unit, allowing children to make connections and apply their Geography skills to other areas of learning
✓ Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and collaborative work, including practical/hands on and computer based tasks, thus leading to lessons which are engaging and appeal to a diverse range of learning styles
✓ Formative and summative assessment opportunities, which enable careful planning of next steps and consolidation opportunities, are built into the sequence of learning
✓ Quality First Teaching, which will enable all pupils to make progress; if appropriate, pupils who show particular aptitude are encouraged to participate in enhancement activities within school
✓ Strong subject knowledge is enhanced through appropriate staff CPD and training, along with subject monitoring and supportive subject leadership
Expected impact of the Jesse Gray Geography Curriculum will be that:
✓ Pupils leave Jesse Gray equipped with a range of skills and knowledge to enable them to study Geography with confidence at Key Stage 3.
✓ ‘Understanding the World’ Early Learning Goals are met at the end of EYFS and end of Key Stage expectations are met for Year 2 and Year 6 as outlined in the National Curriculum for Geography
✓ An inspiring and engaging ethos for Geography learning is created by providing investigative and enquiry-based learning opportunities
✓ Children are able to see the links between skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas
✓ Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness develops
✓ Children will deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments of the world in which they live
Impact
We will measure the impact of the Geography curriculum by:
✓ Looking at evidence of children’s work: reviewing pupil’s knowledge and skills digitally and through end of unit assessments or mini quizzes
✓ Monitoring of learning through pupil voice and teacher interviews
✓ Monitoring the development of skills, knowledge and vocabulary across year groups. Evidence of progression will also be seen on seesaw, apps, X (formally Twitter) and through teacher monitoring
