Geography
At Monks Abbey Primary School the intent in Geography is to spark the children’s curiosity and interest - to provide all the children with a blossoming understanding and knowledge of the world and a growing comprehension of their place within it. We want to inspire pupils and equip them with a deep understanding about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments,. Children are given the opportunity to explore the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject: questioning is encouraged and the children given the opportunity to use their prior knowledge and developing geographical skills to investigate the world around them. The aim is to foster a fascination about places, processes and people which will remain with pupils for the rest of their lives. We provide a geography curriculum which builds upon prior learning and through a broad and balanced curriculum progresses the children’s geographical knowledge, understanding and skill set.
Geography is taught every half term and linked to the general topic when appropriate but not exclusively so. A sequence of lessons are planned and are either delivered spread throughout the half term or during a Geography focus week (implemented according to the teachers’ preference). Each scheme of work has an over-riding geographical theme and/or concept.
As well as providing progression through subject knowledge and skills, subject specific vocabulary is highlighted as part of the whole-school emphasis on vocabulary development. In terms of monitoring, medium term plans will be monitored to ensure appropriate curriculum coverage. Sampling of children’s work to review outcomes will also be undertaken along with termly book scrutiny. Each class teacher will be expected to assess each child once termly to decide whether they have or have not met that term’s objectives. When objectives have not been met, teachers will consider why and what could be done to address this in the future.
Teachers are supported and actively encouraged to use the school grounds and the local area for fieldwork in order to incorporate first hand experiences to further enhance learning and foster curiosity and delight.
By the end of KS1 Pupils will have developed knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They will understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness
As KS2 pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world will help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. By the end of KS2 pupils will have extended their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. They will have progressed their geographical knowledge and skills to allow them to explore, navigate and understand the world around them and their place in it. It will prepare them to become competent geographers in secondary education. Pupils should leave Monks Abbey with a love of Geography and a clear idea of the place Geography plays in their current and future lives.