Intent

Geography is about understanding the world we live in. It helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world.

At Marsh Green Primary School, all children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it.

It is also our intent to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world around them and about people within it. We aim to promote children's interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with deepening their understanding of the Earth's key physical and human processes.

Our geography curriculum also enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas. Geography is an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills.

Implementation

At Marsh Green Primary School, our geography curriculum aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability or additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves that they can possibly be.

The teaching and learning of geography is underpinned by clear knowledge and skills progression. Children’s geographical knowledge and skills are built on, year by year, and sequenced appropriately to maximise their learning. Existing knowledge is checked at the start of each new topic. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children's starting points and takes account of pupil voice. Lesson content and tasks are also designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with our commitment to inclusion. 

It is also important that children develop the skills of a geographer by fully immersing themselves in all areas of the subject. Opportunities are provided for learning outside of the classroom and a range of experiences, including school trips and fieldwork, are provided to give children first-hand experiences, in order to enhance their understanding of the world beyond their immediate locality.

Impact

During their time at Marsh Green Primary School, all children will have developed:

• Knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
• An understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Fluency in complex geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
• An ability to reach clear conclusions and develop reasoned arguments to explain findings.
• Fieldwork skills and techniques.
• A real sense of curiosity to find out about the world around them and the people who live in that world.
• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, underpinned by a knowledge and understanding of current environmental and other physical and human geographical issues.