Subject Leader - Miss J Hamilton

Intent

At River Primary School, the principal aim of our geography curriculum is to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.  It helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. We endeavour to broaden children’s horizons and build their cultural capital through a curriculum which explores diverse places, resources and environments across the world, as well as, rooting much of their learning, particularly the development of skills, in the local environment.

Geography is an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills. Our children as geographers, will develop investigation skills through a range of opportunities, such as data analysis, fieldwork and map work. Through our curriculum, children will develop an understanding of the differences between human and natural environments by exploring and comparing a range of human and physical features in a variety of countries worldwide. Additionally, they will develop an understanding of human impact on our planet by exploring a range of settlements and land use in a variety of countries. They will develop an understanding that geography changes over time, by exploring significant places and climatic changes across the globe. All skills that children develop throughout their geography lessons are put into practice in a variety of different ways, both with the classroom as well as outside in their local area.

Opportunities to make cross-curricular links between geography and other subjects are exploited where appropriate. A number of topics cover both history and geography objectives, as children study how physical processes have impacted on people’s lives in the past, as they do today. Opportunities to reinforce geographical knowledge and skills when learning about the history of the wider world are maximised. Learning about climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, as well as, consolidating locational knowledge frequently occurs in science topics as children learn about different habitats around the world. In addition, fieldwork provides an ideal opportunity for children to apply their mathematical skills when analysing or collecting and presenting data. These cross-curricular links enable children to make connections, which deepen their subject knowledge, as well as their understanding of how subjects relate to each other in the wider world.