Geography

Intent:

Our geography curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability or additional needs to flourish and to achieve their very best. Through developing a sense of place, geography at Darnhall inspires a curiosity, love of learning and appreciation of the environment. Our children are equipped with knowledge of diverse places and people and  through exploration and collaborative learning, they develop skills for life in observing, communicating and comparing what they learn about the world around them. 

Implementation

In EYFS, children begin to develop their geographical knowledge by exploring features of our school and nursery. 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. 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. At our school, the local area and our school grounds are at the heart of our geography curriculum. Children develop a sense of place in relation to their own environment and an understanding of the physical world around them and their community. We encourage our children to appreciate places and people all over the world. From starting in nursery, children are taught key geographical vocabulary which is then built upon as they progress through school. Through our geography curriculum, children also begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment.

We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that that skills and knowledge learnt in KS1 are built upon and sequenced appropriately in KS2 to maximise learning for all children. Existing knowledge is checked at the start of each new topic. This ensure that teaching is informed by the children's starting points and takes account of pupil voice. Lesson content and tasks are designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with our commitment to inclusion. 

It is important that children develop the skills of a geographer by fully immersing them in all areas of the subject. Prior knowledge is revisited every lesson and supports in the development of teaching and learning. Children are assessed through their vocabulary and topic based knowledge at the end of each unit .The local area is fully utilised to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom. When appropriate school trips and fieldwork are provided to give first-hand experiences, which enhance children's understanding of the world beyond their locality. In Year 2, 4 and 6 children are offered the opportunity to go on a residential visit presenting opportunities to embed some of their geographical skills and enhance their knowledge. 

Geography Passport Day is a hugely popular half-termly event where children from Nursery to Year 6 are taken on a journey to another country. They are issued with a passport in Year 1 that travels with them through school recording all about the geography of the countries they have visitied. This promotes cross-curricular learning and offers important opportunities for children to learn about cultures and locations that are different from their own. 

Impact:

The intention of our curriculum is that by the time they leave Darnhall Primary School they will:

• Have a good knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
• Have a good understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
• Have a well-developed base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Be fluent in 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 reasoned arguments to explain findings.
• Have good levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of subject matter.
• Have well- developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
• Have a passion for the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.
• Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in sound knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.