Geography at Coley Primary School

Intent

At Coley Primary School we believe that our Geography curriculum will inspire our children to be curious and fascinated by the world in which they live and  about the people who inhabit it.

Our curriculum enables children to learn about diverse places, cultures, people, and about the Earths resources and the importance of sustainability and our responsibility for the environment. 

At Coley, we are fortunate to have a rich diversity of cultures and backgrounds and experiences  which we can draw upon to develop our understanding and enrich our learning.

Through our engaging and practical curriculum including fieldwork in our local area, children will be using their investigative skills to increase their understanding of geographical concepts. They will develop a variety of important skills such as using, drawing and interpreting maps, and to use compass directions.

Our Geography curriculum has a strong emphasis on KNOWING MORE AND REMEMBERING MORE and  is designed to develop knowledge, and skills (such as appropriate use of IT) that are progressive as well as transferrable to other areas of the curriculum.

Implementation

At Coley, Knowledge Organisers are used throughout the school to identify the key knowledge, vocabulary and skills to be learned for each topic. (Please refer to link above on Knowledge Organisers.)

We have developed a Curriculum overview in line with the National Curriculum, and a Progression of Skills document (see above for links) which ensure that teachers can provide effective progression in knowledge and skills throughout the child's time at Coley. At the beginning of each topic, children are encouraged to share their current knowledge of the topic, as well as thinking about what they would like to find out.

Geography at Coley is taught in blocks throughout the year which enables the children to achieve depth in their learning, and cross-curricular links are planned for during these blocks.

Our curriculum has been designed to be inspiring, motivating and relevant. For example, one of our favourite ways to celebrate our learning about other countries is International day where each class has time to find out about their chosen country and share what they found out with the rest of the school and its visitors. 

We also make full use of our school grounds and local area whenever possible to enhance the children's learning and enjoyment.

Impact

Effective use of our Coley Geography curriculum, Progression of skills document, Knowledge Organisers and a focus on KNOW MORE, REMEMBER MORE will have a strong impact on childrens' learning and achievement. Their learning will be evidenced through work in their Geography/Humanities books, as well as pupil voice and class displays.

As they progress through our school, our children will enjoy developing a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their local area and its similarities and differences with other places/countries.

Our children will be developing as responsible global citizens with an enquiring mind and a passion for learning.