Geography at Peel Park

Vision

Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills. Our children will develop curiosity and fascination from their local area to the wider world. We will inspire children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, cultures, resources and natural and human environments, together with a secure understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Through enquiry and fieldwork skills, our children will be aware of global issues and how their actions can have an impact in our ever changing world.

Peel Park believes that developing a love for learning in Geography is crucial and we do this, by inspiring curiosity and providing children with the essential skills and knowledge to build upon and prepare them for the next stage, this in turn:

• stimulate pupils’ interest in their surroundings and in the variety of human and physical conditions on the earth’s surface;
• foster pupils’ sense of wonder at the beauty of the world surrounding them;
• help pupils develop an informed concern about the quality of the environment and the future of the human habitat;
• enhance pupils’ sense of responsibility for the care of the earth and its people and secure their commitment to promoting and living sustainable lifestyles;
• develop pupils’ skills of critical enquiry and an ability to handle and interpret information, through asking and answering geographical questions and using computing to communicate with and explore a variety of people, places and environments across the world;
• help pupils explore values and attitudes about complex issues such as sustainability and sustainable development;
• enable pupils to study the above across a range of places, cultures and environments at a variety of scales, from local to global;
• Foster a sense of understanding about how we are interconnected and interdependent with other people and ecosystems around the world.

Intent

As children progress through the school, their knowledge of the interaction of physical and human processes grows, as well as their understanding of formation and use of landscapes. Through a progressive and carefully sequenced curriculum, children are also given the opportunity to develop mapping skills, including how to use, draw and interpret maps of different scales and the vocabulary necessary to carry out effective geographical enquiry.

We want children to develop a love for Geography and become global citizens who can use their knowledge of physical and human processes to make meaningful links in the world to bring about change and prepare for a new and better tomorrow.

As children move through EYFS, KS1 and KS2 we want them to:

• Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and

marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a

geographical context for understanding the actions of processes;

• Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time.

We want children to be competent in the geographical skills needed to:

• Collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes;

• Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs

• Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Implementation

Geography at Peel Park is taught on a termly basis as a discrete subject area so that children achieve depth in their learning. The key knowledge and skills that children acquire and develop throughout each block have been mapped to ensure progression between year groups throughout the school. Our School uses the Learning Challenge Curriculum to deliver this subject. At the beginning of each new Geography unit, teachers make links to previously acquired knowledge and skills including map skills and locational knowledge. Each topic is introduced with reference to the chronology of previous topics (including those from previous years). Teachers cater for the varying needs of all learners, differentiating activities where necessary and as appropriate, and ensuring an appropriate level of challenge. Where appropriate we use Geographical resources, visitors, workshops, and trips to excite and intrigue our children to find out more about the world around them.

Impact

Through the high quality first teaching of Geography taking place, we will see the impact of the subject in different ways. Through pupil voice, children will be able to talk about the skills and knowledge they have acquired. Children will be engaged in Geography lessons and want to find out more. Pupil’s work will show coverage in line with National Curriculum and the school’s matrix and medium-term plans. The school environment will be Geography rich through displays, resources, vocabulary.