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.
At Castle Primary School, we want every child to see themselves as a geographer. Through our Discovery curriculum, pupils develop curiosity about the world around them and an understanding of the relationships between people, places and environments. Inspired by the vision outlined in CLF Primary Curriculum ‘I am a geographer’, we teach children to explore the question, “Why is it there?”, helping them make sense of the world and their place within it.
Our geography curriculum is designed to develop knowledgeable, inquisitive and environmentally responsible citizens. Through the study of local, national and global geography, children build an understanding of both physical and human processes and how these shape landscapes, communities and environments over time. Pupils develop a strong sense of place, beginning with their local area and progressively expanding their understanding of the wider world.
Geography at Castle is built around the key concepts of:
· Place, space and scale
· Interconnection
· Environmental change
· Sustainability
· Cultural awareness and diversity
These concepts are revisited throughout the curriculum, enabling children to deepen their understanding and make meaningful connections between different places and geographical themes.
We want children to appreciate the diversity of our world, understand how places are connected, recognise the impact humans have on environments and develop the knowledge and skills needed to engage thoughtfully with local and global issues. Through fieldwork, enquiry and investigation, pupils learn to think critically, ask questions and communicate their understanding as geographers.
Geography is taught through our Discovery curriculum and is carefully sequenced across our mixed-age classes through rolling programmes. Learning is organised around geographical enquiries that encourage children to think and work as geographers whilst developing secure knowledge and understanding over time.
Throughout their time at Castle, pupils study a wide range of places and environments, including the local area, the United Kingdom, Europe and regions across the wider world. They explore physical geography through topics such as rivers, coasts, mountains, climate, biomes and natural hazards, whilst also investigating human geography including settlements, trade, land use, transport, sustainability and environmental change.
Fieldwork is a central element of our geography curriculum. Children learn to observe, question, measure, record and present geographical information through practical investigations in the local environment and beyond. They use maps, atlases, globes, aerial photographs, digital mapping technologies and geographical data to investigate places and answer geographical questions.
Some Discovery units take a Humanities approach, bringing together elements of geography and history. These units help children understand how people, places and events interact over time, whilst maintaining a clear geographical focus on location, environment, settlement, movement and the relationship between humans and the physical world. Through this approach, pupils develop a richer and more connected understanding of the world.
Vocabulary and key knowledge are carefully planned to ensure progression across the curriculum. Children revisit important concepts and knowledge throughout their journey, enabling them to build increasingly sophisticated geographical understanding and make connections between previous and new learning.
By the time they leave Castle Primary School, pupils will have developed a secure understanding of their local area, the United Kingdom and the wider world. They will be able to explain how physical and human processes shape places and environments and understand the interconnections that exist between people, places and landscapes.
Children will be confident in using geographical vocabulary, maps, fieldwork skills and geographical data to investigate and communicate their understanding. They will be able to compare places, identify patterns, draw conclusions and explain how environments change over time.
Pupils will understand the importance of sustainability and recognise the impact human decisions can have on local, national and global environments. They will demonstrate cultural awareness, appreciate diversity and understand how communities around the world are connected.
Most importantly, children will leave Castle as curious, knowledgeable and responsible geographers who are equipped to understand the complexities of the modern world and their role within it as global citizens.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin to develop geographical understanding through the Understanding the World area of learning. They explore their immediate environment, observe seasonal and environmental changes and begin to understand the features of places that are familiar to them.
Through stories, discussion, play, outdoor learning and first-hand experiences, children investigate the natural world, explore the school grounds and local area, and learn about people, communities and places beyond their own experiences. They begin to use language relating to location, weather, seasons and the environment and develop a growing awareness of similarities and differences between places.
These early experiences provide the foundations for future geographical learning by encouraging children to observe, question, explore and develop curiosity about the world around them.
