Geography
Intent
The intention of the Geography Curriculum at Manor Park Primary School is to inspire children’s curiosity and interest, to explore the world that we live in and its people, which aims to ignite a continued love of learning. Our teaching equips our children with geographical skills to develop their knowledge through studying places, people and natural and human environments. This seeks to deepen their understanding of the Earth’s human and physical forms and processes. We want children to develop geographical skills: collecting and analysing data; using maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents and oceans; and communicate information in a variety of ways. Geography, by nature, is an investigative subject. Through our quality teaching, we intend to provoke thought, questions and to encourage children to discover answers to their own question. Through this exploration and research the children will gain a greater understanding and knowledge of the world and their place in it.
Implementation
In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Throughout Key Stage One we focus on exploring and investigating the local area and the United Kingdom and contrasting it with a non- European country. Building on from these skills, the children begin to learn about the wider area and different physical processes that effect the Earth. Geography is taught as part of a half-termly Learning Adventure project, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. Each area of learning covered begins with, and revisits, important vocabulary which the children need to have an understanding of, to be secure in their geographical understanding. We make links to work in History, English and Science when delivering our geography curriculum. Alongside this, we integrate the outdoors into the delivery of our geography curriculum, regularly identifying opportunities to use the school grounds and the local area for fieldwork, which enables the children to base their learning on first hand experiences, essential to the teaching and learning at Manor Park.
Impact
The impact of the Geography curriculum is triangulated using several measures. The teaching of Geography is monitored through Lesson Observations, Data Analysis, Book Scrutiny, Pupil Voice and Learning Environment reviews. All monitoring is recorded and feedback is given to class teachers to ensure that teaching practice is supported and improved. Verbal Feedback is given to children in order to support them to progress within and across lessons. By the end of Year Six we have confident and well-rounded geographers who can use the skills they have learnt to read maps, investigate different countries and physical processes. Children will be able present arguments and conclusions found in human geography, and will have opinions on, in the moment, real life issues e.g. climate change. The impact and measure of this is to ensure that the children at Manor Park are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage Three and for life as an adult in the wider world.