Geography Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact

Intent:

At St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the teaching of Geography is designed to inspire pupils with the curiosity and fascination about the world and its people.  We aim to provide all pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. 

Geography teaching at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School follows the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of Locational Knowledge; Place Knowledge; Human and Physical Geography and Geographical Skills and Fieldwork. 

Curriculum Aims:

The aims of our Geography curriculum are to develop pupils who:

• Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes; 
• Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world; how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time; 

Are competent in the geographical skills needed to: 

• collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes; 
• interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) 
• communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length;

Implementation:

At St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish and to achieve their very best.

Geography is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. The key knowledge and skills of each blocked theme are identified and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Existing knowledge is checked at the start of each new topic. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children's starting points and takes account of pupil voice. Lesson content and tasks are designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with our commitment to inclusion. 

It is important that children develop the skills of a geographer by fully immersing them in all areas of the subject. The local area is fully utilised to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom. School trips and fieldwork are provided to give first-hand experiences, which enhance children's understanding of the world beyond their locality.

Within the EYFS setting, Geography is an integral part of children’s learning journey under the umbrella of understanding of the world. The children talk about their immediate environment using knowledge from first hand experience, discussion, stories, non fiction texts and maps. They begin to explain similarities and differences life in this country and life in other countries as well as the natural world and contrasting environments. 

Impact

Our Geography Curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression, building on and embedding skills. A clear focus on progression of locational knowledge; place knowledge; growing understanding of the difference between physical and human Geography; map and fieldwork skills as well as the teaching of key vocabulary also form an essential part of all units of work.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice);
• Book look by the Geography subject lead;
• Governor visits;
• Annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum;
• Photo and video evidence of the pupils fieldwork learning.

By the time pupils leave St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School they will:

• Have an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like;
• Have an excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated;
• Have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary;
• Be fluent in complex geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques;
• Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop reasoned arguments to explain findings;
• Have significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of subject matter;
• Have highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques;
• Have a passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there;
• Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment;