Intent

The 2014 National Curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all children:

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• and are competent in geographical skills.

The geographical skills relate to being able to:

• collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experience of fieldwork that deepens their understanding of geographical processes;
• interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS);
• communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

At Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School & Little Acorns Nursery, we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond.

We believe Geography at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School & Little Acorns Nursery encourages children to exhibit this inquisitiveness about the world around them, starting from learning about their locality, and then going further afield to study the UK, Europe and then countries around the world.

We want to develop children with a sense of wonder about the world they live in, but also teach them a sense of responsibility that we have to the planet, as they learn about deforestation, climate change, pollution and many more of the issues that affect our imprint on the planet.

We ensure that the ‘geographical’ skills and knowledge are built on and developed throughout the children’s time at school so that they can apply their knowledge of geography when carrying out field work, research, map work and drawing conclusions on arguments and debates.

Teachers plan lessons to incorporate revisits in every lesson, from Connect at the start of the lessons, targeted questioning during the lessons and low-level quizzing at the end of each lesson.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to Geography learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in Geography.

This is promoted and encouraged not only in the children’s individual Geography books on a weekly basis, but also in the Geographical language they are expected to use in discussions.

Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of Geography involves the following:

• Geography will be taught in planned and arranged units over a three-week rotation with History and Computing.
• Our teachers teach Geography as a stand-alone subject, making links to core and foundation subjects where possible. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge in Geography.
• Through our CUSP planning, children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their geographical skills and research to discover the answers.
• Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge.
• Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills.
• Teachers assess through Connects to prior knowledge and mini-quizzes during plenaries based on knowledge, vocabulary and terminology from their Knowledge Organisers.
• These assessments help to identify gaps in children’s learning regularly to identify those children with gaps in their learning, so that all children keep up and so that gaps are rectified.
• Teachers also use knowledge notes to help the children to remember key information and to aid pupils in their independent tasks.
• We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years. As children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting and using geographical skills and vocabulary, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.
• Teachers demonstrate how to use geographical skills and language in a learning context.
• Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by interacting with their locality, going on trips etc.

Impact

The successful approach at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School & Little Acorns Nursery results in a fun, engaging, high-quality Geography education that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world.

It allows them to speak confidently as geographers, applying key skills and subject-specific vocabulary through their learning. Through various school assemblies, trips and events, our children have an understanding of the impact that Geography has on their role within the world, as well as broadening their horizons beyond the social constraints of their locality.

Children at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School & Little Acorns Nursery overwhelmingly enjoy Geography, and this results in motivated learners with sound geographical understanding.