Geography

At Whiteley Primary School, it is our intent that the geography curriculum will inspire pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world they live in that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.  We believe that geography 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.  By revisiting these areas of learning regularly, children will remember more, know more and understand more.  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.

We want our children to gain confidence and have practical experiences of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

In Year R, geography is taught through the ‘Understanding the World’ area of learning. The focus is on knowledge of the immediate environment and the local area. From Y1 to Y6, the geography curriculum at Whiteley Primary School is based on the national curriculum objectives for geography. Subject leaders have identified the key knowledge and skills for each unit of work to ensure progression through the school, and all teachers are aware of the prior learning and the next steps for each unit of study.

Each unit of study uses an enquiry question to stimulate the children’s natural curiosity.  From this, supporting questions are used to develop the children’s knowledge and skills in order to answer the enquiry question at the end through a range of outcomes.  At the beginning of each unit of study, children are able to convey what they know already as well as identify what they would like to find out. This informs the unit of study and also ensures that lessons are relevant and take account of children’s different starting points. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported.

Within our geography curriculum, the local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. Fieldwork is undertaken, where possible, and in some cases virtually through the use of digital mapping and online resources.

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