Geography
Intent
At St Margaret’s Anfield, we have carefully planned the Geography curriculum so that it gives the children the children the knowledge and skills they require for secondary school and more importantly, life. We have placed an aim to inspire pupils to be curious and fascinated by the world around them – both locally and further afield. Pupils are exposed to a wide range of topics throughout their time at St Margaret’s and they also have the chance to complete fieldwork as well as being taught how to correctly collect, analyse and present data in an appropriate way.
Where a scheme is followed (Opening Worlds for Years 3 – 5) and also across the rest of the school, we ensure the lessons achieve the aims of the National Curriculum but more importantly, our focus has been to break down the end points into smaller more manageable chunks allowing the children to enhance their knowledge and their skill set. The lessons and topics we teach are sequenced in a way that allows the children to build their knowledge over time and develop their skills week by week, term by term.
The topics covered cover a range of diverse places, people and resources as well as looking in detail at natural environments and physical processes. The content taught enables children to confidently and correctly answer questions about their local area, country and the wider planet. The sequence of knowledge helps pupils to understand the world and deepens their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
At St Margaret’s Anfield, we place a great emphasis on developing vocabulary and using the key oracy skills. As a result, our curriculum aims to deepen the pupil’s vocabulary and encourages them to communicate their knowledge and ideas in a geographical way. Crucially, our Geography curriculum, mixes practical activities with research and has a blend of academic and technical learning.
Implementation
Geography at St. Margaret’s Anfield is taught in half termly topics throughout the year, Years 3-5 follow the Opening Worlds topics and the other year groups use the Collins Education topics, ensuring all National Curriculum requirements are covered, with a high emphasis on key knowledge and skills. Our long-term plans are in place to ensure there is a high exposure of a range of topics and to allow us to clearly monitor the progression across the year groups. In our medium-term planning, the teachers have followed their topics and have created a cycle of lessons which carefully plan for progression and encourage engagement whilst maintaining a key focus on teaching a range of geographical skills suited to the correct age group, allowing us to ensure we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the school. Whilst following the scheme (Opening Worlds / Collins), teachers identify the key knowledge and vocabulary for each block topic; this is then used to support the creation of our knowledge organisers which pupils will refer too weekly. Key vocabulary is promoted, visited and re-visited throughout each lesson and is clearly visible on classroom displays; supporting a language rich geography curriculum which is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge within the subject.
Teachers use their judgement, based on their individual classes, to implement a variety of teaching approaches to deliver geography lessons that maintain their pupils focus and engagement – whilst ensuring the teaching is accessible to all and the curriculum is balanced and broad. Pupils have access to and are encouraged to use a range of secondary resources such as maps, atlases and digital technology which will enhance their knowledge and understanding and increase their skill set too. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.
Impact
Our geography curriculum will ensure all of our pupils have the same opportunities to explore and enquire about the world in which they live. Knowledge, understanding and skills will be secured and embedded so that all pupils realise and achieve their full potential. Pupils will develop a curiosity of the physical world around them that will stay with them, and will have the geographical language to continue to articulate their questions as they continue their education. When pupils encounter a challenge, they will demonstrate resilience. They will develop a sense of responsibility to look after the world and its resources. They will be respectful of the diverse world around them and its people and nature.
