Intent

Our geography curriculum at Court Farm Primary School is designed to inspire, fascinate and motivate children’s curiosity about the world, their environment and the people within it. At Court Farm, we nurture independent, confident and aspirational learners who enjoy geography, not only in the classroom but also throughout experiences outside of the classroom and fieldwork.  It is our aim for children to:

• Gain knowledge and understanding of places in the world.
• Have knowledge of other cultures and, in so doing, gain respect and understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural country.
• Identify and make comparisons of the human and physical features of locations around the world.
• Develop geographical skills, including compass directions; how to use, draw and interpret maps and to name and locate the world’s countries, continents and oceans.
• Use fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their surroundings and community.
• To formulate appropriate questions and evaluate and analyse material to inform opinions.

Implementation

Geography at Court Farm Primary School is taught on a half term basis using the Grammarsaurus Scheme of Work and the National Curriculum at its foundation. Our Geography curriculum at Court Farm Primary School is enquiry based to provide children with a coherent understanding about what they need to know and understand by the end of the lesson. Tasks that the children complete are closely linked to the enquiry question to support the development of knowledge and Skills across Geography. Within lessons there is a structure whereby prior learning is always considered and opportunities for revision of facts and geographical understanding is built into lessons. We have a specific key vocabulary built into each lesson. This vocabulary is then included in display materials and additional resources to ensure that children are allowed opportunities to repeat and revise this knowledge. Teachers ensure all lessons are inclusive to ensure all pupils can excel progress from their starting points by adapting their planning as necessary.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, geography learning is developed within the ‘Natural Word’ and ‘People, Culture and Communities’ areas of the Development Matters Framework. In Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, Geography focusing on the knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum, ensuring that children cover Locational Knowledge, Place Knowledge, Human and Physical Geography and Geographical Skills and Fieldwork.  Alongside the development of knowledge, we also ensure each year group can experience and develop their geographical and field work skills with on hand experiences.

Impact 

The geography curriculum at Court Farm Primary School will ensure that all children understand the world, its environments, places near and far and the processes that create and affect them, by the time they leave Year 6. Furthermore, it will also ensure that pupils are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge to enable them to thrive in Key Stage Three and beyond, and it will enable pupils to contribute successfully to their wider community. As well as this, children should leave being able to think critically, ask relevant questions, collect and analyse data and draw conclusions. Overall, geography at Court Farm Primary School equips children with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. It also helps pupils to understand the Earth’s key physical and human processes; it deepens their understanding of the interaction between these processes, and it ensures a deeper understanding of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.

In order to be confident in the impact of Geography at Court farm, the subject leader will monitor the subject through the following methods:

• Discussion with pupils
• Gathering evidence of written activities
• Monitoring displays
• Ongoing discussion with colleagues
• Learning walks
• Staff questionnaire