Geography gives children a sense of their place in the world, an understanding of their locality and insight to how other nations and cultures are shaped by where they live. It gives children a chance to look at some of the world's biggest issues - equality, the environment and our interactions with nature.
Our Geography curriculum fulfils and exceeds the requirements and ambitions of the national curriculum for Geography. Geography in the EYFS is taught through a topic-based approach.
Throughout Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, pupils progress through an adapted version of the REACH curriculum, chosen for its ambition and content.
The curriculum is also bursting with opportunities for children to master processes and undertake activities relevant to their discipline. As geographers, children will constantly revisit these six key strands:
- creating and reading maps;
- developing place and locational knowledge;
- understanding key processes of physical geography (and how it affects people);
- understanding key features of human geography (and how it affects the environment);
- planning, undertaking and interpreting the results of fieldwork;
- learning about issues relating to the environment and sustainability.
Early Years
Our youngest learners have weekly Forest School sessions, bringing Geography to live and inspiring a curiosity about the natural world. Our children begin their Geography learning by exploring where they live and the Geography of their own lives: they focus on their house and classroom before moving outwards to the school grounds. The children show great interest in sharing how they get to school and are keen to create their own maps. As they move through the Geography curriculum, they study the local area of Kippax, including a visit to High Street to explore what the village has to offer. These experiences are supplemented through the careful use of photographs, literature and maps relating to the local area within provision. An introduction to early map work supports learning later in school. Fieldwork skills and developing observation is a key part of all learning in the EYFS. Children also learn about patterns in the weather, seasonal change and jobs, all preparing the foundations for future geographers.
Key Stage One
Over KS1, children gradually build outwards from their locality. Children study a range of Geography units, some focused on their local area; others on contrasting regions (both nationally and internationally); and a number focused on maps skills and fieldwork skills. They develop an understanding of the continents and oceans of the world. Across the six units, children begin to understand their place in the world, their locality and how where they live compares to other places.
Key Stage Two
The Geography programme of study in KS2 covers a range of physical processes (e.g. river formation), regional studies and thematic units of human geography (settlement and migration). Throughout the course of study, children build an understanding of geographical processes and systems, focusing on the interactions between communities and the natural world. They will become more familiar with specific geographical vocabulary, such as population, and gain a greater understanding into how geographers work by undertaking fieldwork. They begin to question ethical implications of decisions, considering their impact on people and the planet, as well as developing further fluency in fundamental geographical knowledge, such as identifying regions, biomes and using more advanced maps and geographical representations.
Parents are kept up-to-date with learning in Geography through knowledge organisers that are sent home, as part of the curriculum daily message where we outline each lesson and through informal communications (such as photos of trips, requests for artefacts and exciting learning) that we post on class dojo.
As our KS1 and KS2 learners move through schools, their knowledge is assessed half termly through the use of quizzes and essay writing. Observations in fieldwork and practical lessons also contribute to teachers’ assessments. Each lesson also begins with a retrieval quiz to ensure prior learning has been remembered. We believe that ‘knowing more and remembering more’ ensures our children have mastered the content of the curriculum and have made progress. Key content is revisited along the learning journey to ensure that it is embedded in the long-term memory.
Our curriculum model is influenced by the resources provided by Pearson, ensuring that we meet or exceed the ambition of the National Curriculum for KS1 and KS2. We consult with Brigshaw High School to ensure smooth progression between KS2 and KS3. We use booklets (Y2-6) and knowledge organisers in Geography to ensure that staff and pupils are clear about the knowledge and skills that are being taught.
Throughout their time at Kippax Ash Tree, our aim is to improve every pupils’ cultural and geographical understanding of the world around them, including their own locality. We strive to spark imagination and curiosity in every year group and for them to wonder about the past and how this will shape and impact their futures. We want our geographers to leave Kippax Ash Tree with a solid foundation and passion for Geography that they will take into the next stage of their education.
