At Istead Rise we aim to ignite a curiosity about the world and its people through our teaching of geography. We feel it is important for children to learn about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments throughout their time with us. Our intention is for every child to leave year 6 with a deep understanding of the relationship between human and physical geography and a knowledge of the Earth’s natural processes. We seek to instil an eagerness to learn and discover, as well as to enable children to become critical thinkers. It is our hope to broaden their moral horizons to include the environment and to encourage them to contribute to the wider world positively.

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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

• are competent in the geographical skills needed to:

• collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen 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.

Curriculum Implementation

All geography lessons are planned according to the National Curriculum requirements and aims using knowledge organisers to support the delivery of a high quality curriculum. Geography lessons are taught weekly during specific terms throughout the year, with the other terms being dedicated to history.  Knowledge Organisers are used by the children during the lessons, as this provides them with a reference point for key information. Each unit of learning has clearly defined endpoints, where we aim to ensure our learners can explain key curriculum concepts within the context of their recent learning, this is aided by an ‘enquiry question’ which allows children to demonstrate this. 

Through engaging, well planned and exciting lessons, specific sequences of learning build upon previously acquired knowledge and skills. Pupils work both independently and in groups during lessons to ensure that all children are able to access and appreciate their learning. Specific skills such as map reading and locational knowledge  form an important part of geography lessons and teachers will adapt lessons in response to the needs of the pupils to ensure that they are continuously acquiring and developing these key geographical skills. 

In geography lessons, ​pupils will develop knowledge about the world around them. They will be taught subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and learn key geographical concepts and skills, including first-hand observation  to enhance their awareness of all aspects of geography, including their own local area.  

Pupils are taught:

• locational knowledge;

• place knowledge;

• human and physical geography;

• geographical skills and fieldwork.

Teachers have designed the school’s geography provision to encourage and enable a clear  progression of learning within each of the above strands, starting with children’s immediate local experiences and progressing to locational / place knowledge that is more abstract or further afield.  Human and Physical Geography is intrinsically linked to expected place knowledge and developed further as the children move through the school. 

Weekly assessments take place at the start of each lesson through target memories, to revisit the previous lesson’s learning  and to ensure the retention of  newly acquired knowledge. At the end of each term, children complete a final  quiz  which  provides teachers with assessment information.