Curriculum statement for the teaching and learning of Geography
Intent

At Church Walk C.E. Primary School, our Geography provision aims to foster a sense of curiosity and excitement about the world around us. We seek to create a life-long love of the subject by teaching our pupils about diverse places, people and resources. Through the study of natural and human environments, as well as physical and human processes, we aim to provide our pupils with a sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in. We aim to foster a deep understanding of the subject, with a focus on expanding geographical vocabulary, deepening understanding and developing geographical skills.
Our curriculum is designed to provide pupils with the subject specific vocabulary they need to describe, question and discuss the world as well as their place in it. Our pupils are encouraged to recognise that they have a voice and to use it confidently to debate topics that they feel passionate about, for example, deforestation or renewable energy. We aim to develop well-rounded individuals by providing our children with opportunities to expand their cultural capital and experiences of the world.

                                                                                                   
      
                         

We often use the grounds at Ford Park
 
Implementation
Curriculum Approach
The National Curriculum underpins Church Walk’s Geography curriculum which is designed to meet the needs of individual learners and provide appropriate progression across year groups and key stages.
Pupils have regular Geography lessons and are guided, supported and challenged in a range of topics and tasks which build upon previously learned knowledge and skills, ensuring appropriate progression is maintained.
Pupils working at greater depth are further challenged within sessions. They will be encouraged to use a wider range of geographical language, as well as being given opportunities to express their own detailed and reasoned opinions and ideas within tasks using the geographical knowledge, skills and understanding they have learned.
The Geography skills for each year group are linked to the topics being studied and links are made across the wider curriculum where appropriate. Skills and knowledge established in Geography lessons are used in the wider curriculum to support and enhance the learning, e.g. using technical language in debate when studying rainforests and using directional language in maths.

External resources
Pupils are taught about the local environment and are given opportunities to investigate and make links to the wider world. Children are encouraged to compare different localities as well as identifying similarities and differences between them.
Links to external agencies/trips/visitors:
- Visits to Brockhole for habitats and map work.
- Visits to the local area as part of a study about Our Town, linked with history (Year 1/ 2)
- Visits to Roudsea Woods and Coniston Coppermines Year3/4)
-Viking visitor to Year 3/ 4
- Fieldwork in local area exploring habitats
- Use of map reading skills at outdoor residential centres (Year 3 / 4)
- Orienteering Units in P.E. (Juniors)
 - Trip to The Dock Museum for local area and aspects of human / physical geography
- Cross-curricular links with history – children visit the local area to develop understanding of local surroundings and how they have changed over time.
-Residential trip to Liverpool (Year5/ 6), including a trip on the River Mersey and International Slavery Museum (links to both physical and human geography).
-Trip to Roanhead, linking with work about Coasts (Year 5/6)
-Links to CDEC and use of their resource boxes.
-Links with church and the wider community, particularly through our Fairtrade work.

SMSC
Our Geography curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge of the local community and the wider world. We aim to provide opportunities for pupils to
understand and appreciate their place within the world whilst developing an understanding of other cultures and a tolerance for cultures that are different to ours. We aim to ensure pupils enjoy and appreciate learning about themselves, others and the world around them and that they can reflect thoughtfully on their learning.
Local Context
Our curriculum weaves local geography through all year groups. Reception locate local landmarks and carry out Geography work on our field. Year 1 and 2 look at Our Town and find about features of the locality, including the Canal, Hoad Hill and Sir John Barrow monument. Year 3  & 4 learn about  Coniston and the River Ure (The Gill).  Year 5 and 6 study coasts to understand links between physical and human geography. They carry out fieldwork around Ulverston Canal and the coast of Morecambe Bay. Year 1 and 2 pupils can compare areas in Kenya to Ulverston. Year 3 and 4 visit Coniston Coppermines. Year 5 and 6 pupils are able to compare and contrast the geography of Liverpool to our local area during their residential trip and they compare areas in Eastern Europe and USA.
Residential opportunities, in which students are immersed in new environments are offered in Y3,4,5 and Y6. Opportunities will be provided in which students will navigate new surroundings and apply map reading skills.

Resources
Pupils are able to access a selection of resources including maps, atlases and digital tools, such as Google Earth & OS teaching resources. We have resources available that allow children to investigate the local area and identify how the community has changed. Children are supported in navigating new resources and are then encouraged to use resources with increasing independence and with more critical judgement and awareness as they progress through the school.
Sharing work
Pupils’ work in Geography is recorded in Geography books and is shared between pupils and staff.  Occasionally, Geography work is shown in assemblies alongside other curricular subjects. Learning can be responsibly shared online with parents using the Purple Mash platform or via the school Facebook page.
Children get a chance to work on projects using a range of media, and are able to share their findings using word processing and PowerPoint skills.


Impact
The impact of our Geography curriculum is evidenced in a number of ways: lesson questioning, examining pupils’ work, listening to child-led discussion, interviewing pupils across the school about their learning, ‘book looks’ and using images of children’s practical learning. As a result of our Geography curriculum pupils will:
· Have a growing knowledge of the world and their place in it.
· Have a wider vocabulary of geographical terms.
· Aspire to discover more about the world through reading, travel or the media.
· Know that they can use their voice to express themselves and their opinions.
· Develop their geographical skills, such as, evaluation, creativity, problem solving and enquiry.
PUPIL VOICE
Year 3:
‘It helps to learn about new places and where they are and what other places they’re near.’
‘Tt makes you want to go to new places.’
‘You’d be a great explorer and can go to the mountains.’
Year 4:
‘I enjoy learning about climate and using maps.’
‘I enjoy looking at maps – but it can be confusing.’
‘I know farmers can grow crops on mountain slopes.’
Year 5:
‘It’s fascinating learning about different places and sometimes we’ve done art too.’
Year 6:
‘It helps us to know where places are and where you are going.’

 

Geography Scheme of work

 

Planting bulbs in the Church yard for the Spring garden.

 

 
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Pupils understand where their knowledge fits into the outside world and why it is important to develop their geography knowledge and skills.
Pupils are able to articulate themselves using acquired vocabulary from the geography unit modules. Pupils are provided with opportunities to discuss their knowledge verbally as well as presenting what they know in written forms too.
Pupils are able to apply their skills to investigate new geographical locations and explain how and why they have reached that conclusion. Pupils are confident at explaining their work to people and their work is at an expected or greater standard. Within the Geography curriculum, there are opportunities for all to demonstrate their skills, including through written evidence, as well as more practical and investigative tasks.
Pupils have developed their ideas to and beyond the expected standard for the end of unit expectations. Pupils are confident in explaining their thoughts and feelings about their work and are reflective about their working process. Some children are then able to use their skills and knowledge and make links across other topics and other curriculum areas. Through reflecting on the subject, children are then able to self-identify what skills they would then like to improve and develop.

Global Awareness - Connecting Classrooms

Fairtrade

 We are becoming more fairtrade aware and hold events during Fairtrade Fortnight.