Geography Curriculum Intent

The child is at the very centre of everything we do at Burrough Green. Our geography curriculum is built on strong, pedagogical principles, with every single child encouraged and nurtured to meet and achieve their potential. We make it our aim to discover what children are good at and to use this to promote a positive attitude to our geography learning.

Our locality is reflected in the geography curriculum we deliver as well as a need to prepare children for life in wider Britain and the wider world. They will learn a clear progression of skills and knowledge and links will be made with other subjects where possible – this only helps to link and embed learning. Children need to understand the geography of both our country and the wider world.

Fieldwork is very important. This is being a geographer. The children will visit Felixstowe and Wicken Fen on alternate years throughout their time at Burrough Green. The familiarity they develop with these settings will make it easier for them to apply the skills to other places in the future.

The curriculum content allows pupils to explore through an enquiry-based curriculum where there are no limits to learning and a clear development of skills learnt.’

Geography Curriculum Implementation

The geography curriculum at Burrough Green is based on good quality resources and it has been written to give the children the best opportunities to link and embed learning. All subjects’ employ enquiry-based learning and every lesson is built around either a key question or skills-based learning.

The school has written the geography curriculum to help reflect not only the locality in which we are situated, but also the wider world. At Burrough Green, we have a culture of sharing the best practice and ensuring all of our learners have the best possible start in life.

We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear key skills and knowledge progression this ensures skills are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.

It is so important the children, through fieldwork, develop the skills of a geographer. The locality, Wicken Fen and Felixstowe will be fully utilised to achieve this. The first-hand experiences are vital to achieve this.

To ensure that all children fully develop as geographers, our curriculum is built around the four main geography skills in the National Curriculum:

Locational Knowledge: When teaching locational knowledge in geography, you're giving students information on where places are. You're also providing them with the skills to work out a location that can be anywhere in the world.

Place Knowledge:  This is the finding out knowledge of places nationally, in Europe and globally using globes, atlas and other resources. It is helping them to understand the similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region, a country or a continent.

Human and Physical Geography: This is distinguishing between the natural and man-made. Physical geography looks at the natural processes of the Earth, for example, climate and plate tectonics. Human geography looks at the impact and behaviour of people and how they relate to the physical world.

Geographical skills and fieldwork: This is being a geographer. You will find a separate plan for fieldwork. This is doing the subject: observing, measuring, recording using a range of methods; using a compass, reading maps, aerial photographs, recognising landmarks, using keys and symbols; using a range of resources to locate countries and features being studied

Geography non-negotiables:

• Geography skills should be taught when linked to topics and where possible they should ensure real world application.
• The teaching of the core geographical skills should follow the progression shown in the table below.
• Teachers are to monitor children’s progress during and at the end of each geography topic taught.
• They are to monitor against the key skills for their year group and record them.
• Children will be recorded either as: working below, working at, or working above age-related expectations.
• Information will be passed onto the next class teacher.

Geography Curriculum Impact

In order to monitor the effective teaching and progression of these key geography skills across the key stages, a range of measures will be used:

• Pupils, parents and staff are consistently and regularly consulted about the curriculum and the impact it makes.
• The desired outcomes of the curriculum will ensure that pupils are well-rounded students, ready to embark on their high school education. Pupils will have an understanding of what they are good at and will have developed the appropriate skills to face their future challenges.’
• Impact of the Geography Curriculum: In order to monitor the effective teaching and progression of these key geography skills across the key stages, a range of measures will be used:
• Planning scrutiny focusing on the planned sequences of learning and skills across a year group and specific topics on both long-term and short-term planning.
• Using ‘Comparative Judgements’ across year groups using an assessed piece of work to show depth of understanding and links across geography skills – 1 per unit.
• ‘Book looks’ in children’s topic books to find examples of learning showing progression of skills.
• Reviewing and monitoring to ensure that there is sufficient coverage of the key geography skills being taught.
• ‘Pupil Perception Interviews’ with a range of children across the school once or twice a year to develop a better understanding of their interests and views on the geography curriculum.
• Opportunities for sharing good teaching/activity ideas for the key geography skills during staff meetings throughout the school year. The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Burrough Green are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ‘secondary ready’ and for life as an adult in the wider world.