Geography

Curriculum Intent

At St Joseph’s our Geography curriculum aims to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world, Our curriculum is designed to ensure that teaching equips pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, both natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. its people and cultures which will remain with them, equipping them well for their further education and beyond.

Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. Our curriculum enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas, and which can and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge, and skills.

Curriculum Implementation

Geography at St. Joseph’s is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Our staff have worked together to identify the correct pattern of topics and the key knowledge and skills for each block. Our topics build progressively across the year groups, allowing children to develop skills and understanding systematically.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an ‘Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology’ by the end of the academic year.

Teachers begin each topic by assessing children’s starting point. This allows teachers to design lessons incorporating children’s interests and provide appropriate challenge to all learners.

Teachers continue to check learning and understanding, by reviewing knowledge and skills acquire throughout the topic, at the end and through spaced learning sessions.

The local area is used to full extent to enhance learning within the classroom.

Curriculum Impact

Outcomes in topic books and Seesaw, evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrate children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge relating to each of the identified national curriculum strands, as appropriate to key stage; locational knowledge, place knowledge and human and physical geography.

Geographical understanding, as well as children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is further supported by the links within the Religious Education curriculum. They develop an understanding of and a respect for people of different cultures.

In geography, pupils work individually, with a partner or as part of a group. By working in different ways, the children develop their independence, resilience and their social skills, whilst working on projects together.