Geography

INTENT

At Dropmore Infant School we intend to inspire curiosity and fascination within our children about the world around them through high quality Geography lessons.  We are committed to providing the children with opportunities to develop their knowledge of diverse places, the human and physical processes which shape them and the people who live in them. They are provided with ample opportunities to develop geographical skills in enquiry, map skills, fieldwork and environment. Our teaching supports the children in developing a sense of identity and promotes responsible citizenship.

We have high ambitions for all pupils, including those with SEND, EAL and those from a disadvantaged background. We want children to enjoy learning about Geography by gaining knowledge and skills not just from the classroom but also from fieldwork and educational visits. Our Geography lessons at Dropmore prepare them for the next stage of their education as they go into their next schools in KS2 and beyond.

IMPLEMENTATION

In Reception, our Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS) class, Geography is taught largely linked to the topics being covered each half term. Some topics are more heavily geography focused e.g. My Planet and My Local Area.  Our Early Years Curriculum is carefully planned and implemented alongside the Key Stage 1 curriculum to ensure teaching is sequential throughout the school, building upon the children’s prior learning. In Year 1 and 2 Geography lessons are taught through three main units per year in alternate half terms with the history curriculum. We use KAPOW to base our Geography lessons on in Key Stage 1.

In Reception, our Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS) class, Geography is taught largely linked to the topics being covered each half term. Some topics are more heavily geography focused e.g. My Planet and My Local Area.  Our Early Years Curriculum is carefully planned and implemented alongside the Key Stage 1 curriculum to ensure teaching is sequential throughout the school, building upon the children’s prior learning. In Year 1 and 2 Geography lessons are taught through three main units per year in alternate half terms with the history curriculum. We use KAPOW to base our Geography lessons on in Key Stage 1.

We have worked carefully on our curriculum to ensure there is clear progression of knowledge and skills through the year groups.

  • Substantive knowledge is organised into locational knowledge, place knowledge and human and physical processes and geographical skills. We ensure that pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding are built upon through successive years. e.g. In Reception locational knowledge focuses on the school and the place they live, then in Year 1 it builds up to cover the four countries in the UK, and in Year 2 we explore the capital cities of the four countries in the UK and the surrounded seas an oceans.
  • Disciplinary knowledge, knowledge that allows children to ‘think like a geographer’, is covered between each strand of substantive knowledge listed above. This is all mapped out carefully from EYFS to Year 2 to enable children to apply their knowledge as skill.
We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our Geography lessons, including enquiry-based research activities. We encourage children to ask and answer geographical questions.  We offer them the opportunity to use a range of high quality, up-to-date resources and data sources, such as maps, statistics, graphs, pictures, and aerial photographs as well as IT resources (such as Google Earth) where this serves to enhance their learning. Teachers are encouraged to consider opportunities available to use the school grounds and the local area for fieldwork to enable children to base learning on first hand experiences to enhance teaching and learning in Geography. Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional geography learning outside the classroom and trips are planned each year to further their geography learning such as to museums or local woodland and castles.
 
IMPACT
 
The impact of our Geography curriculum is measured in a variety of ways: questioning during lesson time, marking children’s written work in KS1, listening to discussions, interviewing pupils across the school about their learning, book looks and using images/videos of children’s practical learning.

EYFS:
The class teachers review the children’s development termly in Reception specifically paying attention to the area ‘Understanding the World’ (UTW). Evidence of children’s work and topic floor books are discussed and evaluated by the Reception teaching staff. By the end of Reception, children are expected to meet their Early Learning Goals in all areas of learning, this should be effectively supported by the Geography curriculum, in particular within UTW.

KS1:
Pupils knowledge and skills is measured through ongoing assessment by teachers. By the end of Key Stage 1 children expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the National Curriculum 2014.

Our Geography curriculum ensures that children leave Dropmore:

  • Remembering key knowledge in areas outlined in the National Curriculum
  • Skilled from their knowledge and able to perform various fieldwork outside of their classroom environment
  • Able to use a variety of vocabulary with which to discuss their geographical knowledge and understanding.
  • Knowing how their actions affect the local environment and the sustainability of the Earth’s resources.
  • Equipped to become responsible citizens of that world.
Equality Impact Statement
 
At Dropmore Infant School we provide a broad and balanced curriculum to all pupils, irrespective of special educational or medical needs or protected characteristics. Teachers provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of the children and ensure all children are able to take part in the activities planned. Every reasonable effort will be made to find activities that are both suitable and accessible and that enable the whole group to participate fully and be actively involved, irrespective of special educational or medical needs or protected characteristics.