At St Alphonsus’ Catholic Primary School we plan learning and teaching with a view to enabling each child to achieve their full potential and seek the highest level of personal achievement.
Our Geography Vision
At St. Alphonsus’, we want all children to achieve a higher level of understanding in Geography. Our children’s success and understanding of geographical concepts are underpinned by quality first teaching and excellent subject knowledge.
Our Geography Intent – Why do we teach Geography the way we do, and how does it meet the needs of our pupils?
High Five
- Through good quality teaching, children will develop a sense of geographical enquiry, physical geography, human geography and geographical knowledge.
- Geography will prepare and equip pupils to use a range of resources effectively to support their geographical understanding.
- Through field work, children will begin to develop an understanding of a range of map work skills.
- Pupils will confidently use a range of vocabulary from EYFS to Y6 to enable them to investigate sources of information and enrich their understanding further.
- Teaching will prepare and equip pupils to have a solid foundation of the world and the people that influence within the sector.
Implementation of our Geography Curriculum – What do we teach? What does it look like?
At St Alphonsus’ we have begun to implement the CUSP Curriculum for Geography. Through the use of the CUSP Curriculum, pupils will encounter teachings which emphasise on vocabulary to deepen knowledge and understanding. Curriculum will include place, space, scale, interdependence, physical and human processes, environmental impact, sustainable development, cultural awareness and cultural diversity. Concepts such as change through erosion are taught through explicit vocabulary instruction as well as through the direct content and context of the study.
What Geography looks like EYFS:
- In EYFS, our children will explore their Knowledge Of the World through a range of topics and a play based curriculum. Through the curriculum, our pupils will be able to confidently be able to talk about the Natural World and People, Places and Culture.
- Pupils will describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observations, discussions, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
- Pupils will explain some similarities, differences between life in this country and
life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and (when appropriate) maps. - Pupils will explore the Natural World around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
- Pupils will know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them, and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read to them in class.
What Geography looks like Y1-Y6:
Pupils will name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans. They will, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas.
Our pupils will look at Location and Places, the difference between Human and Physical Geography and skills and field work.
- In Year 1, children explore many places and locations such as Continents, Oceans, countries and Capital cities of the United Kingdom. Hot and cold countries are then followed. Children will discuss the Human and Physical features in these topics. In Year 2, children start CUSP studying local areas and explore physical and Human features. Children then look at the United Kingdom and compare it to a non-European country.
- In KS2, Pupils make more sense and deeper understanding of the substantive concepts and knowledge by using what they know through disciplinary knowledge. Pupils develop an understanding of the concept of Location, Place, Human and Physical Geography and Geographical skills and fieldwork. Whilst teaching Geography, all children are exposed to relevant vocabulary to increase their knowledge and understanding.
Geographical analysis is developed through selecting, organising and integrating knowledge through reasoning and making sense of the content in response to structured questions and well-designed tasks that cause children to think hard as geographers.
Impact of our Geography Curriculum – What will be the outcomes we hope to achieve as a result of our Geography curriculum?
Pupils will leave St Alphonsus’ following a successful study of our Geography curriculum and be prepared to develop their understanding further at KS3 and beyond. Our broad curriculum enriches our pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and how it has impacted life today. Our Geography curriculum is accessible to all and has been developed through CUSP which is designed for all pupils to be able to access with support and engagement through the teaching of the 6-step model. Through this, all pupils will be able to achieve within the Geography curriculum and become successful geographers.
Useful Information
