Geography
At Woodlands Primary School, we follow the Geography Curriculum that is specified in the National Curriculum 2014 and the Early Years and the Foundation Stage (EYFS) (September 2021). These frameworks set out the breadth and depth of study and the skills and attributes for learning that children need to acquire and experience.
Our Geography curriculum is underpinned by a broad range of stimulating topics designed to bring learning to life. It is designed to inspire pupils and create curiosity and fascination about the world, and its people, that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. During Geography, we strive to provide our children with the opportunities to become global citizens, deepening their interest and wonder in exploring the world and their own place in it. Through our curriculum, our children will develop a sense of their world at the local, national and global scales- understanding the interconnections between how people and the environment interact and an understanding of their responsibilities within their own society, whilst also having a coherent insight into sustainability of a dynamically changing world. Geography forms part of our creative curriculum and, as such, is taught along with other subjects on the same theme – which are clearly stated on the Curriculum Framework Overview. EYFS and Year 1 key skills are completed through Enquiry Based Learning directed by discussions with children to cover all other curriculum objectives fluidly throughout the year.
Our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure key knowledge and skills progress in a logical and sequenced way, thus enabling pupils to revisit previously taught content and to build upon it year on year. We use carefully structured progression documents to ensure that substantive and disciplinary knowledge and skills are clearly outlined and sequenced, thus enabling the children to know and remember more, as they move through school.
Woodlands Geography Curriculum
Substantive Concepts
These substantive concepts are the subject matter of Geography and the substance about which students are learning.
- Location
- Place and Space
- Physical World
- Human Environment
- Interdependence and Sustainability
- Cultural Understanding
- Scale
Geography curriculum progression:
Intent
Geography is fundamentally about understanding the world we live in. It helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about both the natural and human aspects of our planet. Our Geography curriculum is underpinned by a broad range of stimulating topics designed to bring learning to life. It is designed to inspire pupils and create curiosity and fascination about the world, and its people, that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Our goals are to offer a broad and balanced curriculum, ensure the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge, and skills, and foster a love for geography in our students. We aim to promote children's interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources, and both natural and human environments, along with a deep comprehension of the Earth's key physical and human processes. At Woodlands, we want our children to gain confidence and practical experiences in geographical knowledge, understanding, and skills that explain how the Earth's features at different scales are shaped, interconnected, and change over time. During Geography, we strive to provide our children with the opportunities to become global citizens, deepening their interest and wonder in exploring the world and their own place in it. Through our curriculum, our children will develop a sense of their world at the local, national and global scales- understanding the interconnections between how people and the environment interact and an understanding of their responsibilities within their own society, whilst also having a coherent insight into sustainability of a dynamically changing world.
Implementation
At Woodlands Primary, our curriculum, adapted from the National Curriculum 2014, enhances learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge about the world around us, ensuring that children know more, remember more, and understand more. These frameworks set out the breadth and depth of study and the skills and attributes for learning that children need to acquire and experience. EYFS and Year 1 key skills are completed through Enquiry Based Learning directed by discussions with children to cover all other curriculum objectives fluidly throughout the year. Geography is taught with a focus on key skills and knowledge throughout the school. In our Literacy lessons, we use quality texts and writing genres that are linked to our Geography curriculum, ensuring that children are fully engaged and immersed in learning about Geography and its connection to the world we live in. At Woodlands, the long-term plan ensures a natural flow and progression of geographical knowledge and skills, covering all areas of the national curriculum in greater depth. To help our children know and understand more in each area of geography studied, our lesson sequences are structured to consider prior learning. Opportunities are provided to recall previous learning and make comparisons, ensuring that learning is purposeful and builds upon each year. Throughout the school, we have clear substantive concepts (the subject matter of geography and the substance about which students are learning). These concepts are covered across year groups, so understanding is not limited to a single theme. Teachers plan lessons using the long-term plan, with key questions to meet national curriculum objectives in various ways. They use substantive concepts to underpin learning, build on prior knowledge, and develop further understanding. We teach Geography through a combination of subject knowledge, geographical skills, enquiry, and fieldwork, encouraging pupils to observe, compare, and understand more about the world they live in. By revisiting and consolidating these processes, children build on prior knowledge to develop new skills and face new challenges.
Impact
At Woodlands, children develop both substantive and disciplinary knowledge in Geography, enabling them to explore, navigate, and understand the world around them, both locally and globally, and to consider their impact on it. By inspiring their geographical learning, we equip our children with the skills to keep their minds open to new learning opportunities. By the time they leave Woodlands, they will have begun to understand the wider world and the implications of our actions as citizens.
Our children will engage in collaborative learning to deepen their understanding and undertake independent geographical enquiries. We recognize the impact of Geography when our students progress through the school, developing knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of their local area. They will be able to recall studies of distant locations and their place within the broader geographical context. At Woodlands, our students will understand the interdependence and interconnectedness of places and the relationship between human and physical environments.
Most importantly, children at Woodlands will develop a passion for Geography. Our curriculum is designed to equip them for success, helping them become competent geographers in secondary education and beyond.
