Curriculum

Geography

Here are our Geography Ambassadors for 2022/23

Geography at Manor Road Primary School

Geography asks questions about the natural and human worlds and examines the relationships between these. It enhances children’s spatial awareness and enables pupils to develop a range of investigative and problem solving skills, both inside and outside the classroom. Geography also provides a focus through which children can explore environmental issues relating to sustainable development, both locally and globally. The study of different societies also helps children to understand their own place within an interdependent global community, and to recognise their individual responsibilities both to other people and to the environment.

Cross-curricular units are used to develop children’s geographical skills and to extend their basic locational knowledge. The use of resources such as maps, atlases, globes, aerial photographs and computing encourages a practical approach to learning and these help to develop the children’s confidence as active learners. Geographical concepts, skills and vocabulary are reinforced by local field studies and the immediate locality of the school provides a comparison with other places and societies. Above all, by linking the local and the global, Geography aims to capitalise on young children’s natural curiosity about places, and encourages them to be thoughtful citizens of the world.

Our Geography curriculum across school is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. 

Intent

Here at Manor Road our Geography curriculum is designed to develop children’s curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. We encourage learning for life within an ever changing world that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We want to foster their enquiring minds so they can question and challenge ideas both inside and outside the classroom.

Children investigate a range of places – both in Britain and abroad – to help develop their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s physical and human processes. We are dedicated to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area of Chorley (and the surrounding area) and Lancashire so that they can develop of real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area unique and special. We also develop the children’s ability to apply geographical skills to enable them to confidently communicate their findings and geographical understanding to a range of audiences in a safe and secure environment.

Through high quality teaching, we aim to develop the following crucial characteristics of a great geographer:

• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like, both in Britain and the wider world;
• A widespread understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected;
• An extensive bank of geographical knowledge and vocabulary;
• Fluency and confidence in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills, as well as effective presentation techniques;
• The ability to reach clear conclusions and explain their findings;
• Excellent fieldwork skills as well as other essential geographical skills and techniques;
• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current issues in society and the environment;
• A genuine love and interest in the subject and a real sense of curiosity about the world and the people who live here.
• Resilience and perseverance to become a creative, independent thinker.

Our Geography curriculum has been developed to work closely alongside our History curriculum (as well as all other areas of learning). Where possible, geography is woven into history to ensure children have a good understanding of how changes have occurred over time. As the National Curriculum states, ‘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.’ The topics taught have been specifically selected to ensure all pupils make progress and embed knowledge throughout each year group.

Implementation

At Manor Road Primary School, each new unit is started with a recap of previous learning. The children are then asked a question that will be their enquiry question for the unit. Teachers understand the key knowledge and skills of each unit taught and consideration has been given to ensure progression throughout each year group across the school from the EYFS to Year 6.  Children are given access to a range of resources to develop learning through atlases, digital technology, books and photographs. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. It is important that children develop the skills of a geographer by fully immersing them in all areas of the subject. The local area is fully utilised to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practise wherever possible.

School trips and fieldwork are provided to give first hand experiences, which enhance children’s understanding of the world beyond their locality.  Our children’s learning is enriched through a variety of experiences to enhance their knowledge of the world around them. Our school grounds and local area provide excellent opportunities for fieldwork including walks around the local area Cuerdan Valley Park, our woodland, local rivers and trips to the local library and churches. Children also enjoy a range of geography visits including visits to the farm in Reception and the zoo in Year 1.

Through our Geography curriculum children have opportunities to investigate and interpret a range of geographical locations in Britain and across the wider world. We encourage children to become geographers through collecting, analysing and communicating through discussion our findings. Where possible, we ensure cross curricular links with Maths and English. Geography at Manor Road provides excellent opportunities to support all learning abilities through investigations, outdoor learning and analysing data. We are incredibly fortunate to have a vast amount of outdoor space, including a wooded area and a pond. We have many different types of trees as well as chickens, an edible garden and bees which allow children to be hands on with their environment. Through our Eco-Councillors, School Councillors and the Geography Ambassadors we aim to promote a respect for our surroundings by looking after our school grounds. This also help the children to build good relationships with others and to promote rights and attitudes of care, tolerance, trust and respect through a broad and balanced curriculum.

Our Geography Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression.

As part of the planning process, teachers plans will include:

• A knowledge organiser, which outlines the knowledge (including vocabulary) all children must master and apply in lessons;
• A clear cycle of lessons for each subject, which carefully plans for progression and depth, concentrating on the geographical skills suited to the age group and opportunities for children to explore their questions;
• Cross curricular links are highlighted as well as opportunities to promote growth mind set (linked to school characters);
• Fun quizzes and activities to challenge pupils and opportunities for childrento apply their learning;
• Fieldwork, trips and visiting experts to enhance the learning experience.

Geographical questioning helps pupils to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of the world and its people. Alongside learning challenge questions, the children are immersed in key vocabulary for each unit as well as recapping previously taught vocab which are embedded in each lesson. Through offering a wide range of terminology, we are able to use new knowledge to help with our assessment of children’s understanding and to help us identify areas in which we need to encourage deeper learning.

Continuity and progression in the curriculum is built around essential knowledge, understanding and key skills within Geography. These are broken into Year Group expectations and have additional challenges for more able learners. Our Curriculum helps us guarantee that the learners’ essential skills are being developed, alongside National Curriculum requirements.

Through our curriculum, pupils learn to think critically and ask perceptive questions. In order to ensure our aims have been met, we scrutinise units through:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning and discuss how previous learning has helped with new learning (pupil voice). This done by both the Geography Subject Leader and the Geography Ambassadors. The Ambassadors also monitor displays and audit resources for classes and share work that they have been doing.
• Moderation, where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Lesson observations/feedback.
• Sharing good practice in staff meetings.
• Teacher questionnaires at the end of each year to discuss any training/resources they might need.

EYFS – Understanding The World (The Natural World and People, Cultures and Communities, past and present).

In the EYFS, children begin to develop their geographical knowledge by exploring features of our school and pre-school. Maps and atlases are used to investigate different places as we begin to compare and contrast different environments. Children have rich opportunities to make use of school grounds to enhance and apply their skills as geographers. Throughout the year, children observe and discuss the weather and seasonal changes focussing on our school grounds. Children also learn about the different jobs which people do in our community.

As children move into KS1, they build on these strong foundations, developing their locational awareness, geographical skills and knowledge of physical and human geography. As well as learning about local geography, children enjoy having the opportunity to learn about different countries and places around the world.

All units are planned from children’s interests and from parent’s questionnaires on children’s likes. These are run alongside units that provide the prior knowledge they need and that can be built on as they move through school.

In the EYFS we aim to guide children to make sense of their world and their community and encourage the children to ask questions and observe changes in the world around them, increasing their knowledge and sense their world.

The children will be given access to and be able to explore a variety of resources such as:

• Maps, globes, atlases
• holiday brochures
• simple artefacts and cultural items from across the world
• Non-fiction books and stories from different cultures
• Role play areas structured around different countries and travel.
• Teacher led story times, nursery rhymes and different cultural poems

The children will also be provided with structured learning including:  

• Planned forest school sessions each week in Reception and Pre-School.
• Atlas and map work.
• Visits in our local area.

Child led and ‘In the moment’ planning

The children are given the opportunity to explore the natural world around them and have access to their outdoor environment daily. This gives the children the opportunity to explore for themselves: plants, materials, animals and insects and observe changes in weather and seasons. Children are provided with the raw materials for them to invent their own games and stories and imaginative play. Planning and activities are changed according to children’s questions and interests.

Impact

By the time children leave Manor Road Primary School school they will:

• Have an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
• Have an excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
• Have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Be fluent in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
• Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.
• Have significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of the subject matter.
• Be competent in frequently developed fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
• Be resilient, creative, independent thinkers.
• Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in great knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society/the world and the environment.
• Have a passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there and link this to their place in the world.

(For more information about Geography at Manor Road Primary School please visit the tabs below).