Geography at St Luke’s CE Primary School
Our Christian Vision
St Luke’s CE Primary School provides a journey to discover ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10), where children flourish, are happy and succeed. Our distinct Christian values of friendship, love, trust, patience, forgiveness and respect are woven throughout every aspect of school life, including our learning, worship and relationships.
Our theologically rooted Christian vision meets the specific needs of our school community. We aim to remove barriers so that every child can flourish and experience life in all its fullness. By the time our pupils leave Year 6, we hope to have enabled them to grow in faith, develop confidence and understanding, and recognise their place within the wider world as they continue their journey.
At St Luke’s, children are at the heart of every decision we make. We want our pupils to be happy, confident and curious learners who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and experiences they need both now and in the future. We achieve this through an inspirational and creative curriculum, rich in opportunity, relevance and challenge.
Geography Rationale
At St Luke’s, we are Geographers!
We believe that Geography is an essential part of our curriculum because it helps children to understand the world in which they live and their place within it. Geography enables pupils to develop a curiosity about people, places and environments, while also helping them to understand the physical and human processes that shape our world.
Through Geography, our pupils learn about the diversity of the world and develop an understanding of how people interact with and depend upon their environments. They explore how landscapes and places change over time and begin to consider important issues such as climate, resources, sustainability, population and the way people live.
Our Geography curriculum is designed to develop a strong foundation of geographical knowledge, vocabulary and skills. Children are encouraged to ask questions, investigate, observe, collect and interpret information, use maps and geographical data, and communicate their findings.
We want our pupils to develop a genuine fascination with the world around them and to understand that Geography is not simply about learning facts about different places. It is about understanding why places are the way they are, how they are connected and how they change.
Our Geography curriculum follows the Kapow Primary Geography scheme of work, which provides a clear progression of knowledge and skills from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6. The scheme supports teachers in delivering engaging, purposeful and challenging geographical learning while allowing opportunities to make meaningful links with our local area and the children’s own experiences.
Intent
At St Luke’s CE Primary School, we value Geography as a subject which inspires curiosity, fascination and a sense of responsibility for the world around us.
Our Geography curriculum aims to equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and environments, alongside an understanding of key physical and human geographical processes.
We want our children to:
- develop a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people;
- build secure geographical knowledge that can be recalled and applied;
- develop a wide and increasingly sophisticated geographical vocabulary;
- understand the similarities and differences between places and environments;
- understand how physical and human processes shape our world;
- develop their ability to use maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping;
- collect, record, present and interpret geographical information;
- ask and answer geographical questions;
- develop fieldwork and enquiry skills;
- understand how people interact with and affect their environments;
- consider issues of sustainability and our responsibility towards the world;
- make connections between geographical knowledge and their own lives;
- develop confidence in explaining geographical ideas using appropriate evidence and vocabulary.
Through our Christian vision, we encourage children to consider the wonder, diversity and interconnectedness of our world and to think about how we can care for the people, places and environments that make up God’s creation.
We want our children to leave St Luke’s with a strong geographical foundation and with the curiosity, knowledge and skills to continue exploring and understanding the world throughout their education and beyond.
Implementation
Our Geography curriculum is carefully sequenced so that children’s knowledge and skills develop progressively from Reception to Year 6.
The Kapow Primary Geography scheme provides the structure for our curriculum, with teachers enriching the learning through local experiences, practical activities, fieldwork and links to the children’s own lives.
Geography in the Early Years
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Geography is taught through Understanding the World.
Children begin to develop an understanding of the world around them by exploring their immediate environment and talking about places, people and changes they observe.
Our youngest children are encouraged to:
- explore their local environment;
- talk about where they live;
- notice changes in the weather and seasons;
- explore natural materials and environments;
- use photographs, stories and maps;
- talk about places they have visited;
- develop an awareness of different environments;
- explore the world through role play and first-hand experiences.
Reception children develop their understanding through topics such as Exploring Maps, Outdoor Adventures, Around the World and Changes in the Seasons.
These early experiences provide important foundations for the geographical knowledge and skills developed throughout Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, children begin to develop a wider understanding of the world beyond their immediate environment.
They learn about different places and environments and begin to identify similarities and differences between them. Children develop an understanding of the United Kingdom and the wider world while building their geographical vocabulary and map skills.
Our Year 1 and Year 2 curriculum includes questions and topics such as:
- What is it like here?
- What is it like to live in the UK?
- What is it like to live in Shanghai?
- What is it like to live by the coast?
- Would you prefer to live in a hot or cold place?
- Why is our world wonderful?
These units provide opportunities for children to compare places, explore different environments and consider how people live in different parts of the world.
Children develop practical geographical skills including using maps, locating places, identifying human and physical features, observing their surroundings and communicating their geographical understanding.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, children’s geographical knowledge and understanding become increasingly detailed and connected.
The curriculum builds upon their previous learning and introduces more complex physical and human geographical processes. Children are encouraged to ask increasingly sophisticated questions and use geographical evidence to investigate and explain the world around them.
Our Key Stage 2 topics include:
Year 3
- Why do people live near volcanoes?
- Who lives in Antarctica?
- Are all settlements the same?
These units develop children’s understanding of physical processes, environments, settlements and the relationship between people and the natural world.
Year 4
- Why are rainforests important to us?
- Where does our food come from?
- What are rivers and how are they used?
Children explore ecosystems, food production, rivers and the ways in which people depend upon and interact with the natural environment.
Year 5
- What is life like in the Alps?
- Why do oceans matter?
- Would you like to live in the desert?
Children investigate contrasting environments and consider how people adapt to and interact with different physical environments. They also develop their understanding of oceans and the importance of protecting our planet’s natural resources.
Year 6
- Why does population change?
- Where does our energy come from?
- Can I carry out an independent fieldwork enquiry?
By Year 6, pupils are encouraged to draw together the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their primary education. They investigate population and energy and undertake independent geographical fieldwork, applying their geographical knowledge to plan an enquiry, collect information, analyse data and communicate their findings.
Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
Fieldwork is an important part of our Geography curriculum.
Throughout their time at St Luke’s, children have opportunities to experience Geography beyond the classroom. They learn to observe their environment, ask geographical questions, collect information and use evidence to draw conclusions.
As children progress through the school, they develop their ability to:
- use maps, atlases and globes;
- use simple and increasingly complex map symbols;
- use directional and locational language;
- identify human and physical features;
- collect and record data;
- use photographs and other sources of geographical information;
- present information in different ways;
- interpret data and geographical information;
- undertake fieldwork investigations;
- draw conclusions from their findings.
By Year 6, pupils are prepared to undertake an independent fieldwork enquiry, bringing together the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their primary education.
Impact
The impact of our Geography curriculum is measured through children’s knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and geographical skills.
We want pupils to remember important geographical knowledge and be able to apply it in new contexts. We also want them to develop the confidence to ask questions, investigate geographical issues and explain their thinking using increasingly precise geographical vocabulary.
We know our Geography curriculum is successful when our pupils:
- demonstrate curiosity and enthusiasm about the world around them;
- retain and apply important geographical knowledge;
- make connections between different areas of geographical learning;
- use geographical vocabulary accurately;
- confidently use maps, atlases, globes and other geographical resources;
- ask relevant geographical questions;
- use evidence to support their geographical explanations;
- understand the relationship between people and their environments;
- recognise the importance of caring for and sustaining our planet;
- undertake fieldwork confidently and collaboratively;
- can interpret and present geographical information;
- reflect on their learning and challenge their own ideas;
- achieve age-related expectations in Geography.
We use formative assessment throughout lessons and units to identify misconceptions, gaps in knowledge and opportunities for further challenge. Teachers use questioning, discussion, practical activities, written work and end points to assess pupils’ understanding.
Summative assessment at the end of units helps teachers to evaluate learning and identify areas where additional support or challenge may be required. This also enables subject leaders to monitor progression across year groups and ensure that pupils are building securely on previous learning.
Children at St Luke’s will:
By the time they leave St Luke’s, our children will:
- know more about the world and the people who live in it;
- remember more of the geographical knowledge they have learned;
- understand more about how physical and human processes shape our world;
- use geographical vocabulary confidently and accurately;
- ask questions about places, people and environments;
- use maps and geographical resources with increasing independence;
- collect, analyse and interpret geographical information;
- carry out fieldwork enquiries and communicate their findings;
- make connections between different geographical topics;
- recognise the importance of sustainability and caring for our world;
- develop a lifelong curiosity about the world around them.
Most importantly, we want our pupils to leave St Luke’s with a sense of wonder about the world, an understanding of their place within it and the geographical knowledge and skills to help them navigate and contribute to an ever-changing world.
Geography Curriculum Map
Our Geography curriculum follows the Kapow Primary Geography scheme of work and is carefully sequenced from Reception through to Year 6.
The curriculum develops from children’s understanding of their immediate environment and the changing seasons, through the study of contrasting places and environments, to more complex geographical concepts including volcanoes, rainforests, rivers, population, energy and independent fieldwork.
Geography at St Luke’s
We are proud to develop children who are curious about the world, confident in their geographical understanding and excited to discover more.
Our Geography curriculum supports our Christian vision of enabling children to experience ‘life in all its fullness’, helping them to appreciate the diversity and wonder of our world and to consider their responsibility towards the people, places and environments within it.
We are also pleased to announce that St Luke’s CE Primary School has achieved the Gold Award for the Primary Geography Quality Mark.
To see examples of how our pupils flourish in Geography at St Luke’s, visit our Geography school blog:
https://stlukesceprimary.blog-pages.co.uk/subject/geography/
We are also pleased to announce we have achieved the Gold award for Primary Geography Quality Mark.