Intent

At Saint Patrick's Catholic Primary School we believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The geography curriculum at our school enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills.

The curriculum is designed to ensure that teaching equips pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress through the school, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.

Geographical knowledge and skills are progressive and are sequenced so that children have an understanding of the local area before progressing wider to the wider world. 

We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, equipping them well for further education and beyond.

Implementation

•  We plan an effective Geography curriculum which will meet the needs of all learners; making adjustments where necessary to ensure that children with Special Educational Needs and those who are categorised as Disadvantaged Learners are able to achieve their full potential. 
• Geography at Saint Patrick's is taught every other term. 
• Topics are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically.
•  Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. 
• Cross curricular outcomes in geography are specifically planned for.
• The local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice.
• In order to support children in their ability to know more and remember more, there are regular opportunities to review the learning that has taken place in previous topics as well as previous lessons.
• At the end of each topic children will create a 'double page spread' to summarise and celebrate their learning in the topic. This is kept in a separate book which will follow each child through the school. This will enable them to review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.
• Effective CPD opportunities are available to staff to ensure high levels of confidence and knowledge are maintained.
• To support teaching, staff access a range of resources.

Impact

Outcomes in topic and English books, evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrate children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge relating to each of the identified national curriculum strands, as appropriate to key stage; locational knowledge, place knowledge and human and physical geography. This is in addition to the development and application of key skills, supported by fieldwork.
As children progress throughout the school, they develop a good knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context.