Geography

Geography curriculum statement

Introduction

At Castle Primary School, we believe that through geography, pupils should be given the opportunity and encouragement to become worldwide citizens, global explorers, and eco warriors. Geography is concerned with the past, present and future and helps pupils make sense of the world around them: it is about seeing, doing, enquiring, making links and experiencing. Our approach to the geography curriculum is underpinned by our learning intentions: independent, resilient and empathetic learners.

Intent

Castle Primary School aims to:

• ensure all children develop a good sense of location and place and are able to identify human and physical features in the environment.
• gain an appreciation of life in other countries and cultures.
• think about their own place in the world, their values and their rights.
• encourage children to respect and care for their environment to sustain its future.
• equip the children with the geographical knowledge and skills required for them to further their studies in geography and develop an interest, curiosity and enthusiasm for working geographically.

Implementation

Geography at our school takes place as part of our Discovery sessions, meaning the children will be immersed for a half term in the unit of work based on geography. The teaching follows a progression of skills and curriculum-based objectives across the year groups to ensure effective coverage throughout the school and to ensure each child gets the full depth and breadth of geography teaching during their time at Castle Primary School.

Impact

As children progress through the school they develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation for their local area and its place within the wider geographical context. Children will deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments. Geographical understanding, as well as children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is supported by our experience-based curriculum. Children learn about careers related to geography from members of the local and wider community with specialist skills and knowledge through visits and outings, ensuring all children are well prepared for their next steps in education and learning.

What does it look like in the EYFS?

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. We provide children with opportunities to develop their understanding of ‘geography’ in a range of contexts.