Intent

Our teaching of Geography will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of their locality and the wider world and its people. It will inspire pupils’ curiosity about the world and give them the skills to develop their knowledge.
Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about places and people; resources in the environment; physical and human processes; formation and use of landscapes. We also want children to develop geographical skills: collecting and analysing data (fieldwork); using maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents and oceans; and communicating information in a variety of ways; -To inspire pupils’ curiosity to discover more about the world
-To enable children to know about the location of the world’s continents, countries, cities, seas and oceans.
-To develop fieldwork and mapping skills.
-To develop in children the skills of interpreting a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems .
-To help children understand how the human and physical features of a place shapes its location and can change over time.
Our pupils will develop a real sense of place through compare and contrast topics which always start from where we live.

Implementation

Geography is taught either in blocks or weekly throughout the year, so that children achieve depth in their learning. This is decided at the medium term planning stage, identifying within the given topic which is the best approach to take. Where possible, Geography is linked to other areas of the curriculum to increase breadth of knowledge and experiences but is always planned as a separate, discrete subject.

Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each topic and  to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school. 

The following principles and practices underpin the implementation of the Geography curriculum at Co-op Academy Parkland

•  This is achieved by ensuring that the planning is both skills and knowledge based. The skills are progressive year on year and the key knowledge for each unit forms our assessment for Geography.

• The children are expected to recall previous learning in each session in order for them to embed their learning and make links. Links are made to previous learning and both knowledge and skills are rehearsed throughout their time at school to ensure that the knowledge sticks.

• The question, key vocabulary which will be subject specific and a variety of tier 2 and 3 words alongside a knowledge organiser is how every unit will begin to ensure that our children  are giving the tools and confidence to tackle the unit.

• The geographical skills are a priority and these are sequenced and show progression through the key stages.

• Each unit will have a geographical question/enquiry to answer.
• The compare and contrast units for each year will always start from the child, developing a real sense of place.

Impact

• Children will develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their local area, region, country within the wider world. 
• Children will become increasingly critical and analytical within their thinking, making informed judgements based on their knowledge of the world around them. 
•  Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings. 
•  Children will build an increasing understanding of geographical terminology and language. 
• Children will have a sound knowledge of geographical features and how they have shaped the world they currently live in. 
•  Children will develop enquiry skills to pursue their own interests within a topic and further questioning. 
•  Children develop their confidence in using different fieldwork skills and techniques. 
• Where applicable, children will have encountered or participated in high-quality visits/visitors to further appreciate the impact of Geography.
• Children will have developed their mapping and fieldwork skills through forest school and utilising the local area.