Geography

Intent

St Bon’s pupils will experience a high-quality Geography education which will inspire in them a curiosity, fascination and appreciation of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

The intent behind our Geography curriculum is to enable each child to become a confident, enthused and skilled Geographer. We want them not to simply recall places, Geographical terminology and concepts, but to be critical, engaged and enquiring learners. Our curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, during their time at St Bon’s, their secondary education and throughout their lives.

We will actively encourage our pupils to continually ask questions, speculate and then seek answers about our planet. Lessons will provide children with the knowledge they need to know about the earth’s physical and natural processes, a variety and diversity of places, its people and resources. St Bon’s pupils will also develop the skills needed to become competent and engaged Geographers through the use of digital resources, mapwork, using diagrams, globes and aerial photographs. They will be given the opportunity to consolidate and build upon their skills, through ongoing and enriching fieldwork. Our pupils will experience and engage in fieldwork in the school environment, their local area and further afield, through class trips and residential experiences.

Our children will be active, caring and knowledgeable about their local community. They will show an appreciation and concern for our neighbours on a local, national and global level.

Implementation

At St Bon’s, our Geography curriculum is designed so that children experience a progression of knowledge and skills throughout both Key Stage 1 and 2.  The subject is taught explicitly, although cross-curricular links with other subjects such as Maths, English, RE, History and Computing are incorporated, where relevant, within Geography lessons. The teaching, learning and sequencing of the curriculum is set out in our Key Stage 1 and 2 ‘Progression Map’, in which the Geographic skills have been broken down into three main themes: Locational and Place knowledge, Human and Physical Geography and Map Skills and Fieldwork. These are woven throughout the Geography topics. 

Effective use of educational visits, local fieldwork and visitors are planned, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experiences within the Geography curriculum. In-depth fieldwork opportunities enhance learning through planned local area studies, where children conduct observations, surveys, investigations and field sketches. The use of maps and compasses enhances this experience.  

At the start of each unit, children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.  Children from Years 1 to 6 take part in the Geography Bee Challenges, which are progressive and linked to the Location Knowledge for their year group.

In Geography lessons, children are given clear success criteria in order to achieve the Learning Intention with different elements of independence.  Effective modelling by teachers ensures that children are able to achieve their learning intention, with misconceptions addressed within it.  Through using a range of assessment tools, differentiation is facilitated by teachers, to ensure that each pupil can access the Geography curriculum.

Impact

By the end of KS2, St Bon’s pupils will know more, understand more and remember more about Geography and the world. They will be motivated and inspired to continue their learning as they progress to KS3. Children will develop a range of life skills, which they can use and develop beyond school life. Children will display confidence and enjoyment in Geography. Children will use and apply skills across the curriculum, making meaningful connections in purposeful contexts. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Through various fieldwork activities, enquiry questions and themed units of work children will have the understanding that geography impacts upon our lives daily. We measure the impact of our Geography curriculum through monitoring work, listening to the children’s attitudes about Geography through pupil conferencing, by taking learning walks and through book looks.  Our pupils will have an awareness and compassion for the challenges we all face in our world today. They will understand how, as citizens of the world, we all have a responsibility to care for and protect our planet.