Intent

At Field Lane we aim to develop informed and active citizens who understand that their lives are interconnected with others and can make responsible choices to impact upon their environment in the future. We want the children to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up to be cartographers, town planners, conservationists or weather forecasters.We create an environment where knowledge is engaged, encouraging the creative application of geographical knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Locational knowledge is sequenced and revisited throughout the children’s time at Field Lane, to encourage a breadth of coverage and depth of study. 

Through our concept based curriculum, we are able to discuss current geographical issues and possible solutions, including pollution, climate change and human geography around the world.

Implementation

Geography is taught  for half a term every term.  The subject is explicitly taught in years 1 to 6 and units are blocked to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth. At Field Lane, we prioritise areas of content and teach them through ‘concepts’. Children are encouraged to find the links between these concepts, therefore making their learning more meaningful to them. Our Geography curriculum is designed so that children start with ‘themselves’ and their school or local area before working out to areas or regions of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. We aim for our curriculum to be real and contemporary. 

Geography is taught through teacher led activities in Smart Time, discrete lessons and through experiences and visits. During Smart Time students will be involved in practical teacher led sessions which build on pupils’ understanding. They have the opportunity to practise the skills that they have already learned and apply these to independent activities (knowledge engaged).

To develop place knowledge in a real context, we have created different areas around the school grounds and we provide lessons and experiences within these settings: an eco-garden, a construction area, sculpture area, gardening areas and community developments. We also aim to widen children’s experiences from their immediate setting to their wider world. Educational visits and field work are integral to this.

We have developed a progression of skills with each key stage, which enables pupils to build on and develop their knowledge and skills each year.   Cross-curricular links are planned for, with other subjects such as Maths, Writing and Computing being incorporated within geography lessons and the curriculum.

Location knowledge, fieldwork and map work are woven throughout the Geography topics.  Effective use of educational visits, local fieldwork and visitors are planned, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experiences within the Geography curriculum.  In-depth fieldwork opportunities allow children to explore local area through conducting observations, surveys, investigations and field sketches.  The use of maps and compasses enhances this experience.  

At the start of each unit children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.  In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to review the learning that has taken place in previous units as well as previous lessons.

To support teaching, staff access a range of resources and planning through the Geographical Association. Teachers complete an assessment grid to show the children’s progress in each topic. Our school environment is well-planned to enable children to use their geographical skills in their immediate environment. We have planned for and developed a range of physical and human geographical elements to our playground for the children to work in, both in lessons and at playtimes.

Teachers set high expectations for all pupils. They will use appropriate assessment to set ambitious targets and plan challenging work for all groups, including:

  More able pupils

  Pupils with low prior attainment

  Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds

  Pupils with SEN

  Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL)

Teachers will plan lessons so that pupils with SEN and/or disabilities can study every subject, wherever possible, and ensure that there are no barriers to every pupil achieving.

Teachers use inclusive high quality teaching to meet the needs of all pupils through an adapted curriculum

Teachers will also take account of the needs of pupils whose first language is not English. Lessons will be planned so that teaching opportunities help pupils to develop their English, and to support pupils to take part in all subjects.

Further information can be found in our statement of equality information and objectives, and in our SEN policy and information report.

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supports children’s understanding of geography, people and communities through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World’. Geography is effectively taught through their wider curriculum lessons and through their enhanced learning provision and environment.  Children learn about features of their own environment such as school, home, community and their city through first-hand experiences and learn how environments may differ through the sharing of books, stories, poems, small world play, role play and visits. Children enjoy the valuable experiences gained from our regular trips to places within their local community such as the library, park and local shops. Children are given time to discuss, comment and ask questions about what they observe about the world around them and are encouraged to be active learners and explore their interests further.

Impact

Our geography curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We measure the impact of our curriculum through a variety of methods. 

• Recap of previous learning throughout school, building upon the skills and knowledge the children have already developed. 
• Each child completes a project at the end of a Geography unit which will contain work the child has completed throughout the topic; each child chooses how they wish to present the pieces of work. 
• The work that will be included in the project will be given to the child as a checklist with a list of non-negotiables. This allows children to pursue their own lines of enquiry within a topic and gives them ownership of their own learning. 
• Children are able to develop their field work skills each year, showing a progression of skills as they progress through school. 

We believe we will have succeeded with our impact if our children show a curiosity and care for the world around them and are able to engage their knowledge and skills confidently in a range of situations and activities.

For each Geography topic studied, teachers will assess the children’s progression. This will be formative assessment, drawn from written, oral and visual evidence of learning over the course of the project.