Geography
Geography is a study of how the world works, and it has the potential to capture the minds of children like no other subject. The National Curriculum (2014) states, "A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives."
Our Vision for Geography
Intent
"A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, and environments and a deep understanding of Earth's key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world helps them deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and the formation of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge provides the tools and approaches that explain how the Earth's features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time." National Curriculum 2014
We aim to equip pupils with cultural capital, preparing children with the essential technical knowledge and skills for what comes next. The exploration of new skills and experiences helps to nurture resilience, curiosity and creativity. Through this journey, children develop new forms of cultural capital that make a difference in individual mindsets, which consequently shapes their future.
Implementation
Geography is a foundation subject within the National Curriculum. The aims of teaching Geography at Woodlands Primary School are consistent with our School Mission Statement and consider the requirements set by the current National Curriculum. All children are entitled to access the programmes of study at a level appropriate to the individual child's needs. We aim to develop the whole person by giving our children opportunities to reach their full potential in Geography.
The national curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all pupils:
• Geographical enquiry and skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of places.
• Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes.
• Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development.
Geography is taught at Woodlands Primary using a topic-based approach, and skills and knowledge are taught, and cross-curricular opportunities are encouraged. We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our geography lessons. We believe in whole-class teaching methods, and we combine these with enquiry-based research activities.
Impact
We encourage children to ask as well as answer geographical questions. We offer them the opportunity to use various data, such as maps, statistics, graphs, pictures, and aerial photographs. We enable them to use ICT in geography lessons to access mapping software and interpret data in graphs or tables and geographical research environments where this serves to enhance their learning. Children will experience fieldwork in a geographical context across all key stages.
Coronavirus 2020/2021
A dual curriculum approach following the school closure in March 2020 and January 2021 ensured that Geography continued to be delivered in a way that reflected the subject's vision and strategy for learning.