Geography
Geography is challenging, motivating, topical and fun. In our diverse society, children need to understand other people and cultures, more than ever before. Geography makes a major contribution to children's physical, intellectual, social and emotional development.
At Acre View Primary School, we believe that becoming a geographer enables a child to develop a fundamental understanding of themselves and their place in our world. Geography inspires in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Pupils will develop knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, plus natural and human environments.
Our geography lead is Ms A Jones
Intent - What are we trying to achieve?
At Acre View Primary School, we shape our geography curriculum to ensure it is fully inclusive to every child. Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Geography; providing a broad and balanced curriculum; ensuring the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to develop a love for geography.
At Acre View Primary School, we aim for a high-quality geography curriculum which inspires in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about places and people; resources in the environment; physical and human processes; formation and use of landscapes.
We want children to develop geographical skills: collecting and analysing data; using maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents and oceans; and communicating information in a variety of ways. We want children to enjoy and love learning about geography by gaining this knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits taking advantage of the local surroundings as well as further afield.
Implementation - How is our vision translated into practice?
This will be implemented through thematic teaching of the subject, linked, when appropriate, to other areas of learning. 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. Existing knowledge is checked at the start of each new topic. This ensures 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.
The local area is fully utilised to achieve desired outcomes, with opportunities for learning outside the classroom. School trips and fieldwork are provided to give first-hand experiences, which enhance children's understanding of the world beyond their locality. Our Geography curriculum is taught as part of the ‘Learning Means the World’ topic.
Impact - The Difference Our Curriculum Makes
By the time pupils leave Acre View Primary 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 have 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 significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of subject matter.
- Have highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
- 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.
- Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.