INTENT

At FPS we are committed to opening a world of opportunities for our children. We believe that geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding of the world, as well as their place within it.

We will provide opportunities to access, investigate and make enquiries about their local area, the United Kingdom and the wider world. We will teach children geographical enquiry skills which will ensure they can fully access and explore our knowledge rich curriculum, giving them a progressive sense of place, moving from local to national to global.

Our geography curriculum is designed so that children are inspired to become curious and fascinated about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.  

IMPLEMENTATION

Geography at FPS is taught consistently throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression across themes throughout each year group across the school. At the beginning of each theme, children are able to convey what they already know as well as what they would like to find out. This informs the planning and also ensures that lessons are relevant and take account of children's different starting points.

In the early years it is the first opportunity to see how a child interacts with their environment and how the environment influences them. Staff follow the EYFS which aims to guide children, to make sense of their physical world and their community by allowing them to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. This is the first steps of becoming a geographer.

In KS1 & KS2, teachers ensure all aspects, knowledge and skills of geography are being taught across all year groups. It is planned and sequenced to ensure that learning and themes are accessible to all learners at FPS.

Geography lessons are planned coherently, using the skills progression, to build pupils knowledge and understanding of the world and the interaction between physical and human processes through quality first teaching.

Lessons build geographical expertise from their local area to the wider world. This includes locational knowledge, understanding of human and physical features and geographical and fieldwork techniques.

A real focus will be placed upon developing their geographical enquiry skills. Enquiry work includes open-ended activities in which pupils are independently discovering things for themselves using their knowledge and skills. Teaching and learning is oriented towards answering questions, opening up problems and issues and moving towards general principles and solutions, with the teacher managing and organising an appropriate range of teaching and learning experiences. 

From EYFS up to the end of key stage 2, pupils will be taught various geographical terms both in our local area and worldwide.

Geography assessment is ongoing and informs teachers with planning lesson activities and differentiation, it will be tracked against the geography progression of skills objectives.

All lessons are planned to using skills progression's so that knowledge is taught across the year groups; Skills are progressed across the key stage with Connexions made to prior learning.

Reactive geography informs peoples of worldwide events that are being reported in the news eg disasters and further build their understanding of physical geography and place knowledge through class discussions

IMPACT

We encourage the children at Fremington Primary School to enjoy and value the curriculum we deliver.

We will constantly ask the WHY behind their learning and not just the HOW.

At FPS, the impact of quality first teaching in Geography will create a love, enthusiasm ad deep understanding for Geography and the world.

Well constructed and well taught lessons provide pupils with opportunities to research and apply skills independently, skills essential for lifelong learning. Lesson observations and book scrutiny indicates high expectations and reflect what pupils have learned. All learning builds towards clearly defined end points that are met.

Peoples will leave KS2 with a strong knowledge of their local area and a confidence of the location of other countries and cities around the world. All peoples will be able to discuss and recall a variety of events and where they happened in the world, as well as explain aspects of human and physical geography and confidently use maps and atlases.

Knowledge and skills will have developed progressively to not only enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare pupils to become competent geographers in secondary education and beyond. We want pupils to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.