Geography
Geography develops pupils’ knowledge of the world, teaching them to use maps and understand physical and human environments (often linked with other topics).Our Geography Curriculum
Exploring places, people and environments to understand our changing world
Overview
Subject Statement
Intent
What do we aim to do?Geography is all about understanding the physical world we live in and how are actions have an impact on our environment. It aims to provoke questions and provide answers about both the natural and human aspects of the world in which we live both locally and on a wider scale. At Lindley Junior School, children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world and begin to work out where they fit into it. The geography curriculum enables pupils to develop knowledge and skills many of which are transferable to other curriculum areas and future learning. As geography is an investigative subject, it develops understanding through enquiry, exploration, and the application of key concepts, knowledge, and skills. Our intent, in teaching geography, is to inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people, while promoting children’s interest in and understanding of a diverse range of places and people.
Implementation
How do we achieve our goals?Our whole curriculum aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, or additional needs, to flourish and achieve their very best. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear and progressive sequence of skills and knowledge. This ensures that learning is carefully structured, building year on year and across key stages to maximise outcomes for all pupils.
Existing knowledge is regularly checked at the start of new topics using strategies such as mind maps and retrieval activities. This ensures that teaching is informed by pupils’ starting points and allows staff to respond effectively to pupil voice and identified gaps. Lesson content and tasks are carefully designed to provide appropriate challenge for all learners, with high expectations consistently maintained.
It is important that children develop the skills of a geographer by being fully immersed in the subject. The local area is fully utilised to support and enrich learning, with regular opportunities for fieldwork and outdoor learning embedded across the curriculum. School trips and fieldwork experiences are planned to provide valuable first-hand experiences, helping pupils to deepen their understanding of the wider world beyond their immediate locality and make meaningful real-world connections.
Impact
How will we know we have achieved our aims?By the time pupils leave Lindley Junior School, they will have developed an excellent knowledge of where places are locally, and in the wider world. Alongside this, they will have a secure understanding of how places are interconnected and interdependent, and how human and physical environments are closely linked and influence one another. They will have built a strong and well-developed base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary, enabling them to communicate ideas clearly, confidently, and accurately.
Pupils will be fluent in geographical enquiry, able to apply effective questioning skills and use a range of analytical and presentational techniques to support their learning. They will be able to draw clear and justified conclusions, develop reasoned arguments, and explain their findings using appropriate geographical language. Pupils will also demonstrate originality, imagination, and creativity when interpreting and representing geographical ideas and information.
They will have well-developed fieldwork skills and a genuine curiosity about the world and the people who live within it. Pupils will be able to express well-balanced opinions based on secure knowledge and understanding of current and contemporary issues affecting both society and the environment. They will also be able to consider different perspectives and make informed judgements about global issues.
Above all, pupils will leave Lindley Junior School with a passion for geography, a strong sense of place, and a desire to continue exploring and understanding the world around them, both locally and globally.
