“The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together” – Barack Obama

Across the course of an academic year, each year group will complete three Geography units of work. The geography curriculum incorporates fundamental geographical knowledge and skills, allowing pupils to build on a firm foundation in future years. Our Geography curriculum within Key Stage 1 is very much an introduction to discipline of Geography and how to be a Geographer by looking at the world around us starting very locally and slowly going wider. Fundamental pieces of knowledge are delivered throughout Key Stage 1 to ensure this knowledge can be utilised and used by children as they move through the school. The focus on revisiting key information is focused around the idea that we want children to know and remember more and be able to use this knowledge in future years.

Key Stage 2 begins with an introduction to settlements, tectonic processes and hydrological and climatic processes during Year 3. This introduces pupils to concepts, vocabulary and knowledge that is capitalised on in subsequent years. These units lay important foundations of much of their future geographical learning. When pupils study Migration in Year 4, they will utilise their knowledge of settlement types in order to deepen their understanding of migration patterns. This knowledge and understanding support their comprehension of why communities develop around areas of rich natural resources, and how slums develop. The Natural Resources unit then feeds into the Year 5 unit on Energy and Sustainability, by supporting pupils’ understanding of where energy comes from and how greater sustainability can be achieved. The Year 6 units on Population and Globalisation draw on themes that have been explored throughout KS2, so pupils are really able to approach these complex topics with a great depth and breadth of knowledge.

We are extremely fortunate to be in an area of natural beauty and wonder and use the local area as much as we can within our Geography curriculum to brings to life for the children. Year 4 for example during their Rivers unit spend time in Loose Valley following the path of the river and discussing how it changes as it moves through the valley.