Intent

We aim to enable our children to:

• To fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum in Geography.
• To develop an understanding and interpretation of local, national and global geography.
• To develop practical skills of first and second hand investigations and research and introduce pupils to the process of geographical enquiry.
• To make links between Maths and English and support cross-curricular links.
• To enable pupils to recognise that Geography is the study of people and places and the interaction between them..
• To build and use a wide range of geographical vocabulary and relate this to English Language as a whole.
• To integrate fieldwork / trips as an important part of the enquiry process.
• To help pupils deal, openly and sensitively, with issues of environmental change and sustainable development.
  To use a variety of resources, including ICT to develop teaching and learning The National Curriculum Themes and Breadth of Study.

Implementation

The National Curriculum requirements and content are the starting point for teaching Geography in Percy Main Primary School.  Objectives are obtained from the Focus On Assessment document from Focus Education.

• Geography is planned and arranged in topic blocks by the subject leader, in collaboration with the class teacher, to ensure a topic-based and cross curricular approach. This is to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge and a clear progression of knowledge and skills.
• Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess pupils regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all pupils keep up.  There is an expectation that geography work is completed to the same high standard as other curricular areas.
• Staff build upon the knowledge and skills development of the previous years.
• First hand experiences should be at the heart of work in geography. These experiences can be varied and might include working outside the classroom, visits to sites of geographical interest and using and handling objects, maps, photographs and other sources of evidence and information.

Assessment and Recording

Children’s progress is continually monitored and is used to inform future teaching and learning. By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study as set out in the National Curriculum.  Geography is assessed at the end of each unit of work or as each objective is taught as appropriate.  A knowledge harvest is completed at the beginning of each unit and revisited at the end of the topic.  Data is recorded termly on O'Track.

In EYFS, we assess the children’s Understanding of the World.  This involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

Impact

Evidence of impact on the children include:

• Children learn through fun, engaging, high-quality Geography education.
• Children engage with the local environment; children learn through a variety of experiences, including first hand experiences, of the world around them.
• Children enjoy Geography and they can make links between their lessons and both their immediate environment and the wider world.
• Teachers have a high expectations of the children and the work they produce in Geography.
• Teachers are confident in their teaching and assessment of Geography.
• Children are prepared for life beyond primary school and equipped with the skills and knowledge to further their Geography journey.