GEOGRAPHY
INTENT:
At St Mark’s, it is our intention to deliver a high-quality, coherent and challenging geography education which inspires every child. Through our teaching and hands on experiences, we hope to spark curiosity about the world and motivate them to continue learning about their local area and the world beyond.
We will equip pupils with understanding of their place within the world, knowledge about the world we live in and how it is evolving. We aim to deepen the children’s understanding about diverse places, people, resources and both natural and human environments. We strive to build upon each child’s geographical skills and knowledge through the study of places and themes. We hope to inspire curiosity and fascination about our changing world and the people in it. We want pupils to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.
IMPLEMENTATION:
The Geography curriculum at St Mark’s uses the objectives from the National Curriculum as the basis for planning. In Key Stage 1 and 2, Geography is taught for the second half term each term, one session per week. In the Foundation Stage Geography skills are taught constantly through play, provision and topic teaching.
Our pupils are given opportunities in every lesson to build upon prior learning and to remember what has been previously taught, thus deepening knowledge, skills and understanding and enriching locational and place knowledge. At KS1, pupils develop knowledge about their own locality in Newcastle upon Tyne, the UK and the wider world. They understand basic vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to develop simple map skills. At KS2, pupils extend their knowledge beyond the local area to include countries and continents with the world’s most significant human and physical features.
Planning is chronological, progressive and begins with the basic skills which are applied in a range of contexts through challenging and inspiring topics. We teach lessons that captivate students' imaginations and enthuse them about the world around them.
An enquiry-based approach is used, with time set aside for discussions, debate and questions, thus developing independent learning and critical thinking. Our reactive approach to teaching Geography informs pupils of worldwide events that are being reported in the news (e.g. natural disasters) and further builds their understanding of physical geography and place knowledge through class discussions.
Regular formative and summative assessments are used to monitor progress and adapt teaching methods to meet individual needs. At the end of each unit, the teacher makes a summary judgement about each pupil’s work in relation to the skills outlined in the National Curriculum. These are recorded in our school’s assessment tracker for Geography, and form the basis for assessing the progress of each child.
IMPACT:
Our Geography Curriculum aims to produce confident, empathetic, and knowledgeable young geographers who are equipped with the skills, understanding, and ambition to make a positive impact on their future. We measure the impact through academic achievement, students' ability to engage in meaningful geographical discussions, and the raised aspirations and confidence levels of our students.
They will have developed a curiosity and understanding of the world around them and be confident in asking crucial questions, of themselves and others, about how humans will continue to impact on the world. They will have a strong awareness of how our world is changing, as a result of climate change, and be inspired to make innovative changes in their own lives.
Pupils will leave KS2 with a strong knowledge of their local area and a confidence of the location of other countries and cities around the world. All pupils will be able to discuss and recall a variety of events and where they happened in the world, as well as explaining aspects of human and physical geography and confidently using maps and atlases (physical and digital).
At St Mark’s, our Geography curriculum is not just a subject; it's a journey that empowers our children to explore the world around us. Through this curriculum, we aspire to transform lives, create informed citizens, and contribute to the development of a more inclusive and enlightened society.