Geography

Intent

At St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, our Geography Curriculum aims to enable pupils to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of the people and places of the world. We intend for our pupils to build an internal map which grows as they move through their studies and for them to develop an appreciation of different human and physical features and how they shape the environment around them. We hope that children’s learning invokes a sense of awe and wonder at God’s creation which provides a springboard for everyone to embrace our roles of stewards of the earth.

Implementation

Our Geography Subject Lead, working collaboratively with other Romero Geography Leads,  have  designed  an enquiry based, carefully sequenced, progressive curriculum based around the National Curriculum for History which encompasses:

  • Carefully planned lesson sequences
  • A knowledge and skills-based curriculum
  • Explicit teaching of geographical vocabulary
  • An enquiry-based approach
  • Explicit opportunities for children to develop their ‘substantive’ and ‘disciplinary knowledge’
  • Meaningful, repeated encounters with substantive concepts such as locational and place knowledge, human and physical features and social justice.
  • Links to prior learning and frequent retrieval practice
  • Ongoing formative teacher assessment
  • Summative substantive knowledge checker quizzes

Impact

As a result of quality first teaching and our carefully planned Geography curriculum, our children will show a depth of understanding in and curiosity for the subject. The sequencing of our curriculum will enable pupils to build a mental map starting with their school location and setting and building progressively wider throughout the studies. They will then refer back to their immediate locations to contrast and compare and consider key learning points. Through the emphasis on and direct teaching of vocabulary, children will talk with confidence, clarity and passion about their learning. They will understand what it is to be a geographer: the ways of working in the field, the types of questions to ask and the ways to articulate and deliver answers. Children will be equipped with the key skills and knowledge required for further study in KS3 and beyond.