Intent
What is taught?
At Toft Hill Primary, we recognise the importance of Geography in every aspect of daily life. As one of the foundation subjects taught in primary schools, we give the learning of Geography the prominence it requires.
We follow the National Curriculum for Geography, which aims to ensure that all children:
- 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.
At Toft Hill Primary, we teach geography progressively focusing on the key skills or working geographically, including map and fieldwork skills, and key knowledge. We teach the importance of our locality, starting at our village and spreading out to look at its place in our region, our country, our continent and finally the world in which we live. We investigate a wide range of maps to help children understand this.
We aim to develop children’s curiosity, positive attitudes and engage them in exploring the world around them. We also aim to give children the knowledge and skills needed to enable them to ask, answer and investigate geographical questions.
Implementation
How is geography taught?
When teaching geography, we see it as essential that there is a clear progression of skills and knowledge e.g. mapping skills and fieldwork skills. Throughout the different year groups, we have a focus on development of vocabulary, specific to the topics being taught. Planning focuses on the key knowledge that the children should know and remember. Teaching and learning in the classroom encourages children to retain key facts and information.
“Progress means knowing more and remembering more.” OFSTED
Teachers approach topics in different ways depending on the topic being taught:
1. Topics may be blocked and taught across most afternoons for a 2/3 week period.
2. Geography could be taught once a week for a number of weeks.
Impact
Why is geography taught in this way?
The geography curriculum is taught this way at Toft Hill so that children understand their place in the world and how their village links to other localities. The main reasons for teaching geography this way is that by the end of KS2 pupils will be confident when:
• Reading and understanding a range of different maps
• Asked to use compass points to identify positions of different places
• Using the local surroundings to use their fieldwork skills e.g. 6 figure grid references and 8 points of the compass.
• Using a variety of vocabulary specific to geography e.g. biomes, climate etc.
• Having a clear and deep understand of both human and physical geography
• Comparing a range of different countries from contrasting locations