Intent
At Birchwood, Geography inspires pupils to have a curiosity and fascination about the world and the people that live in our world. Birchwood’s overall aim is to provide opportunities for pupils to develop a knowledge & understanding of the physical & human processes which shape our world.
We teach the full National Curriculum. The curriculum has been organised into the substantive knowledge, disciplinary knowledge and vocabulary. Pupils are exposed to a clear progression of knowledge and skills and are given the opportunity to build upon their prior knowledge.
Through Geography, children will develop knowledge and understanding of different cultures and, in so doing, have respect and understanding for what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural society.
Our pupils experience geographical concepts first hand through observing, collecting and analysing data.
Implementation
The Geography curriculum has been carefully built and the learning opportunities and assessment milestones for each year group are crafted to ensure progression and repetition, embedding key learning, knowledge and skills.
The curriculum overview is organised into: locational knowledge, place knowledge, environmental, physical and human geography including geographical skills and fieldwork. These elements are revisited frequently so that learning builds on prior knowledge.
Within our school, Geography is taught as part of a carefully planned, sequenced series of lessons. This is sometimes taught through a thematic topic.
Trips and visiting experts enhance the learning experience and are planned into the curriculum, and home learning tasks which children complete with adults at home are set as part of Birchwood’s Home Learning. Children’s Geography books, used in lessons, allow pupils to revisit their prior learning, and be confident at articulating their new learning as they progress through school.
Staff receive professional development to support with their delivery of the curriculum.
We believe that by creating our curriculum in this way, we improve the potential for our children to retain what they have been taught, committing it to long-term memory.
Impact
Our geography curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. Topics are chosen to enthuse the children and ensure the teaching of the key geography knowledge and skills, and maintain progression. Emphasis is placed on investigative learning opportunities to help children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of each skill.
We measure the impact of our Geography curriculum through the following methods: speaking to pupils about their learning; evidence in books and from practical work; termly teacher assessment and lesson visits.
By the time children leave Birchwood Primary School they will have an excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like. Children will have a deeper understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments. They will be prepared for the next phase of their education and have a passion for Geography, and a sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live in it.