Geography at Ferham Primary School
At Ferham Primary, we follow Ark Curriculum + in Geography. We believe that having a strong foundational knowledge will enable our pupils to participate in, challenge, and reshape the world around them.
Curriculum Intent:
Through studying Geography, pupils make sense of the world and learn how events from both their own locality and the wider world can impact them directly and indirectly. They can understand, describe and appreciate the world whilst also being able to discuss and debate issues on a local, national and global scale.
Throughout their journey in geographical enquiry, pupils will build their:
1. Knowledge of locations, places and geographical landscapes across the world
2. Understanding of the conditions, processes and interactions that explain features, patterns and changes over time and space
3. Application of skills in observing, collecting, analysing, evaluating and communicating geographical information
The KS1 units within the Ark Curriculum + set the foundations for the learning within the KS2 units where children develop their understanding of locations, processes and people. The Geography curriculum begins in EYFS with pupils completing an in-depth local area study, which provides pupils with a concrete experience of geographical enquiry skills. Following this, pupils explore contrasting localities in all five continents, exploring key human and physical characteristics. Pupils learn that human and physical geography are intertwined through a concept known as environmental geography. Human, physical and environmental geography will be studied at all scales, from localised regions to the wider world.
Pupils develop a secure understanding of the local area to assist with their knowledge of self and identity. Learning about other places in the world expands their horizons and exposes them to realities and possibilities that they might not otherwise have experienced.
The Geography Curriculum Map sets out the key knowledge for each unit in each year group.
Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Implementation:
Foundation Stage
Geography is taught in both Foundation Stage 1 and 2 as part of the Understanding the World strand of the Development Matters Framework. Children learn through a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated learning within the provision. This links closely with the Year One geography curriculum, for example pupils start to use simple maps of the playground in EYFS and begin to show a curiosity about the seasons which is built upon in the Year One unit about the local area
Key Stage 1 and 2.
Ark Curriculum + sets out a unit overview of the Geography curriculum over the year which the school follow. This ensures there is clear progression throughout each year group.
Classrooms display a Geography working wall to support children’s learning within and across lessons. These include the driving question, facts for later, visuals, timeline, map and facts for later. Aerial photographs and satellite images are also displayed to spark curiosity of the world as well as allowing the children to build on their understanding of scale and locality. The world map is also displayed in each classroom and teachers use this as a constant resource to build secure interconnected geographical knowledge across the curriculum.
Every lesson starts with explicit vocabulary instruction where geographical language is explained and presented with a visual to support understanding. Our pupils record their learning within the workbook starting each lesson with a knowledge to build on understanding from the previous lesson. These booklets provide children with opportunities to record work with increasing independence.
Our AC+ workbooks are adapted to the needs of the pupils within the class. Resources are amended/adapted as needed to make them accessible to SEND and EAL pupils for example through the use of word banks, visuals and multi-sensory ways of learning identified “sticky knowledge” key knowledge.
Curriculum Impact:
In Geography, there is ongoing teacher assessment to ensure that the children are keeping up with the pace of the curriculum and achieving our goals. Opportunities for retrieval practice are included in Geography lessons to ensure knowledge is transferred into long-term memory. Teachers’ use of retrieval strategies help children to make connections and to find any gaps and re-teach content when needed. The Ark+ workbooks support this as knowledge-based retrieval quizzes are included at the start of each lesson. The National Curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all pupils are competent in the geographical skills needed to communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length. The end of unit double page spread allows pupils to use what they know to answer the driving question of the unit and demonstrate their increased knowledge and understanding.
The Geography curriculum leader provides summative assessment quizzes as part of the monitoring cycle to gauge pupil understanding of substantive knowledge. Monitoring of Geography provision may also be through learning walks and collection of work samples. Feedback is given to staff to ensure any emerging gaps can be filled.
Parents and carers receive information about their child’s progression in Geography at the end of each academic year through their end of year reports.
