Intent
At Consett Infant School it is our intention that children become resilient, take risks, develop independence, show determination and are self-confident in their approach to Geography. It is our intent for the Geography element of our school curriculum to inspire pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people.
Our Geography curriculum has been designed around a set of skills and knowledge which are progressive. The sequence of knowledge and skills in Geography is planned so that children are able to explore, embed and develop their expertise. It ensures that children are introduced to Geography vocabulary which enables them to communicate their knowledge and understanding.
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. 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.
Implementation
We plan using the National Curriculum and EYFS framework. We enhance the curriculum using progression grids. Subject Progression grids are used to develop medium term planning. Teachers use the medium-term planning to plan units of work and deliver individual lessons.
At Consett Infants School our children have access to key language and meanings in order to understand and readily apply to their written, mathematical and verbal communication of their skills, in a purposeful context. This promotes connections to be made across all foundation subjects where applicable.
The promotion of a language rich Geography curriculum is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding in Geography. In Geography children are encouraged to enquire about their topic of interest and develop their independence when locating places, describing places and exploring the outdoors. Children will access resources to acquire learning through atlases, text books, maps, digital technology and photographs. Children will use a range of secondary resources to develop their knowledge and understanding that is integral to their learning.
In order to enhance the curriculum for geography, children access the local area frequently. This develops their mapping skills. Through using a map they navigate and apply their geographical skills when accessing the local area.
Teaching and Learning should plan for outdoor learning opportunities within geography lessons. This may be using the school grounds, local area or wider community to apply and explore their subject specific task. Children will access their local environment to get a hands-on experience in their learning. This may not be geography led but is an expectation that all pupils visit their local area at least once a term. Children will become more aware of their local environment and as they progress through their geographical education and apply their skills to develop areas of enquiry.
To enhance the Geography curriculum our children access Forest School learning from a trained Leader in school.
At Consett Infant School, our Geography curriculum is designed to provide children with the best possible opportunities to learn and develop skills and understanding which can be committed to long term memory.
Where possible, children work through the learning objectives as a class, at a level which is appropriate to them. The main aim is that the majority of children within the year group will be working at an age appropriate level as set out in the National Curriculum.
Children with Special Educational Needs are supported and an appropriate mathematical curriculum which has been differentiated and matched to their individual need is delivered to them. Specific targets for children with SEND are contained within their SEN Support Plans .
Impact
All children are exposed to high quality teaching, a carefully planned and designed Geography curriculum and age appropriate opportunities to develop and enhance knowledge, skills and understanding.
The impact relating to how well children are developing their geographical skills, knowledge and understanding is evaluated on a termly basis as teachers track progress, determining whether a child is Emerging, Developing or Secure in identified key objectives for that term.
The expectation is that our children work confidently and are at Age Related Expectation for the Geography programme of study as outlined in the National Curriculum.
Children will retain knowledge that is pertinent to geography with a real-life context. They will understand how geography ‘happens’ in their local area. Children will have a good understanding about the world around them and how it has been shaped. They will know more, remember more and understand more.
At Consett Infant School, the most significant impact of our curriculum is that children are confident, independent, resilient and determined learners who can express their thinking in a clear, articulate and confident manner. This is the ultimate aspiration for children’s geographical learning in our school.
Please see attached the Progression Maps for Geography.
