Legal framework
This policy has due regard to statutory guidance, including, but not limited to, the following:
The intent of the geography curriculum
At Berkswich, we strive to inspire our children to have an innate curiosity and fascination about the world that we live in and the diversity around them. Our goal is for all children to develop a love of geography.
Our ambitious geography curriculum is designed to have concepts weaved throughout every year group in order to encourage purposeful repetition to ensure the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge and skills. This consistently builds on previous understanding so that our children are striving to become geographers who understand their own significance in the world which will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Our high quality teaching of geography enables our children to understand their rights and responsibilities towards other people and the environment in which we live. All children will be equipped with advanced knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. This ensures that each child, including SEND children, gain the real geographical experiences of their community and the wider world.
Our aim is to create a learning environment where children have a thirst for investigation and new learning. This is underpinned by geographical vocabulary enabling children to effectively communicate the interaction between physical and human processes.
The implementation of the geography curriculum
To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school which enables all children to gain real-life geographical experiences. Our geography curriculum focuses on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum which provides a framework outlining the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage which aims to enable pupils to:
Planning in school is structured systematically and has been tailored to the needs of our children using the Chris Quigley Geography Curriculum Companion: this ensures that units are in line with our school approach of a concept-driven curriculum. Although a unit may have a particular focus, the learning progress is based on the geographical concepts: location, physical features, human features, diversity, physical processes, human processes and map techniques. We recognise that these will strengthen the schema as the basis of all geographical knowledge.
In Nursery and Reception, all children are taught geography as an integral part of the learning covered during the academic year. All geographical objectives within the EYFS are underpinned by the objectives of the early learning goals (ELGs). The geography curriculum in the EYFS enables children to:
In planning and guiding children’s activities, our teachers constantly reflect on the different ways that children learn and this is seen in their practice. It allows the teaching staff to provide all children with rich geographical opportunities through playing, exploring and active learning. Children are continually encouraged to make meaningful connections in their learning.
The needs of our children are met through a range of resources built on the Quigley Geography Curriculum Companion. The support materials that have been chosen ensure that teachers have full access to expertise when planning; these can maintain the integrity of the geography curriculum whereby the children’s geographical skills and knowledge remains at the heart of all planning.
Through CPD provided by the geography lead and self-learning, teachers are equipped with the necessary subject knowledge.
Teachers know their children’s prior learning, and are mindful of their own end points in relation to the expectations contained in subsequent years. Please see the school website (www.berkswichceprimary.co.uk) for further overviews of the curriculum.
A coherently planned and sequenced set of lessons is taught using our progression of knowledge and skills document which consistently builds on previous understanding to embed key concepts in the long-term memory. This repetitive approach ensures that geographical concepts are weaved throughout every year group in order to encourage purposeful repetition to ensure the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge and skills. Children have opportunities to revisit, apply and extend what they have already covered to ensure that learning is both cumulative and permanent. We believe that this is the best way for children to develop the knowledge and skills needed for mastery of a subject.
Teachers have high expectations of children to use discussion to further learning. Children are increasingly expected to give precise explanations, using technical and geographical terminology appropriately. Teachers model this practice, using the correct language within all learning. Each ‘Breadth of Study’ is started with a Knowledge Organiser where children have access to key vocabulary and concepts in order to understand and readily apply their skills in a purposeful context. The promotion of a language rich geography curriculum is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding in geography.
Children regularly access a range of resources to acquire learning through globes, atlases, maps, digital technology and photographs. Regular educational geographical visits from high school teachers, parents and members of the wider community provide vital opportunities for children to enhance their cultural capital by integrating their knowledge into larger concepts and apply to the real-life world.
Berkswich CE is ambitious for all pupils; challenge is a part of every child’s learning. We provide Greater Depth pupils with the opportunity to extend their geographical thinking through planned opportunities to broaden and apply their learning within contexts of increasing complexity. Greater Depth pupils also benefit from providing peer support and articulate their own understanding in order to encourage learning in others.
Roles and responsibilities
Berkswich CE Primary has a designated link governor who meets with the geography lead at least once a year to find out about:
The curriculum governor will report back to the governing board.
The subject leader is responsible for:
The classroom teacher, in collaboration with the subject leader, will ensure that the needs of all children are met by:
The SENDCo is responsible for:
In the school, geography is taught both as a discrete lesson and as part of cross-curricular learning. When beneficial to both subjects, the geography curriculum will provide opportunities to establish links with other curriculum areas, for example, using maps in cross-curricular learning. The integrity of the geography curriculum is upheld and furthered through meaningful, purposeful connections.
The impact of our geography curriculum
Throughout the year, teachers will plan on-going assessment opportunities in order to gauge whether pupils have achieved the key learning objectives. Teachers constantly assess the children’s understanding, correcting misunderstandings. Teachers are responsive and alter planning accordingly to help children embed and use knowledge fluently and develop interconnected understanding rather than memorise isolated facts within a unit. Formative assessment, which is carried out throughout the year, enables teachers to identify pupils’ understanding of subjects and inform their immediate lesson planning. Summative assessments may also be used at the end of a unit. Teachers will make a judgement about the learning of each pupil in relation to the national curriculum – the outcome of which will be recorded using OTrack (used by school to analyse and act on attainment and progress) and used to inform future planning.
The progress and development of pupils within the EYFS is assessed against the early learning goals outlined in the ‘Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage’. For further information about assessment in EYFS, please visit our Early Years area found via the Learning tab on our school website (www.berkswichceprimary.co.uk).
Assessment will be undertaken in various forms, including the following:
Parents will be informed about their child’s attainment in geography during the Summer term every year. This will include information on pupils’ attitudes towards geography. Verbal reports can be provided during informal meetings with parents throughout the year. The progress of pupils with SEND will be monitored by the SENDCo.
By the time children leave our school, they will have a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes and a curiosity and fascination about the world we live in.
This will be evident in our children through:
All pupils will have equal access to the geography curriculum. Gender, learning ability, physical ability, ethnicity, linguistic ability and/or cultural circumstances will not impede pupils from accessing geography lessons. All efforts will be made to ensure that cultural and gender differences are positively reflected in lessons and the teaching materials used.
Policy Review
The geography policy is reviewed bi-annually or sooner if required. A named member of the governing body is briefed to oversee the teaching of geography, and meets with the subject leader to review progress. Any changes made to this policy will be communicated to all teaching staff.