At St Mary and St Margaret’s, we believe that geography stimulates curiosity and imagination within children. We as a school aim to build upon the child's "personal geography" by developing geographical skills, their understanding and knowledge through studying key themes and topics.

At St Mary and St Margaret’s, geography is a valued part of the curriculum as it provides a purposeful means of exploring, appreciating and understanding the world in which we live and how it has evolved. Geography explores the relationship between the Earth and its people, thus promoting an interest in our own locality as well as developing an understanding of the world around us.  It promotes questioning and problem solving and focuses children’s attention on key and important topics such as climate change.  Geography encourages children to learn through experience, particularly through practical and fieldwork activities.  

Aims

• For children to have an in-depth knowledge of their surrounding through learning about their own locality, and through interactions between people and environment.
• To promote and further children’s interest, knowledge and understanding of contrasting localities in Britain, Europe and the world.
• To develop knowledge and understanding of the human and physical processes which shape places.
• To appreciate similarity and difference in the world around them and to respect other people’s beliefs, attitudes and values.
• To develop the geographical skills and vocabulary necessary to carry out effective geographical enquiry.
• To formulate appropriate questions and develop research skills to inform opinions.
• To develop interest and enjoyment of geographical experiences and build confidence and understanding.
• To recognise and understand issues concerning the environment and sustainable development.

At St Mary and St Margaret’s, Geography involves:

• Undertaking fieldwork in the local area and places further afield in the UK.
• Comparing and contrasting land-forms, land uses, weather, seasons and ecosystems.
• The use of secondary sources to obtain geographical information, e.g. Odizzi, photos, books, videos and the internet.
• Following directions using positional and directional language, also using these to direct others.
• Naming the physical features of places, e.g. mountain, sea, beach, valley.
• Naming the human features of places, e.g. schools, buildings, churches, roads, factories.
• Using developing language to talk about their work e.g. route, scale, tide, erosion, climate, temperate, continent.
• Developing geographical skills of making observations and measuring, recording observations through maps, talk, and writing, taking photographs, sketches and diagrams.
• Using maps, globes and atlases, and interpreting photographs.
• Helping the children appreciate the variety of responses to the same basic needs (ethnic, cultural and economic) and to imagine what it might be like to experience life in other places.

Purpose of the Curriculum:

(What will a high quality Geography education do for our children?)

• Inspire inquisitive minds to find out about the world and its people.
• Equip pupils with a knowledge about diverse places and people.
• Ensure that pupils are aware of our location within the wider world.
• Develop an awareness of locations and features of places within the world.
• Promote a range of skills to enable pupils to ‘think and work like geographers’.

Four main Geography strands:

In both Key Stages 1 and 2 children should study four strands.

These are:

• Geographical Enquiry and Skills.
• Knowledge and Understanding of Places.
• Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes.
• Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development.

Key Concepts

National Curriculum Geography across the years!

Year 1 - Weather and climate /  United Kingdom /  Local Area

Year 2 -   Continents and oceans / Hot and Cold places / Zambia

Year 3 - Climate Zones / Rio and South East Brazil / Rainforest

Year 4 -  North America / Rivers / South America the Amazon

Year 5 - United Kingdom / European Regions (Athens) / Mountains / Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Year 6 -  Local Area and region

EYFS

At St Mary & St Margaret’s, we follow the EYFS Early Adopter framework (2020). Within this framework there are four guiding principles which shape our practice.

These are:

1. Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
2. Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
3. Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.

Children develop and learn at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

As part of our practice we:

• Provide a balanced curriculum, based on the EYFS, across the seven curriculum areas, using play as the vehicle for learning;
• Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Provide early intervention for those children who require additional support;
• Work in partnership with parents and carers;
• Plan challenging learning experiences, based on the individual child, informed by observation and assessment and by the children’s own ideas and interests;
• Provide opportunities for children to engage in activities that are adult-initiated, child-initiated and adult-supported;
• Provide a secure and safe learning environment indoors and outdoors.

Through the Early adapter framework, we have a focus on Understanding the world. This involves children making sense of their physical surroundings and the world around them as well as their local community.  Children are encouraged to explore, observe, question and find out about people places, technology and the environment.