Geography at southfield
Geography Intent
At Southfield Junior School, we believe that Geography helps to provoke curiosity in learning, providing answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The geography curriculum at Southfield Junior School enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can, and are, used to promote their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge, and skills. We seek to inspire in children an interest and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives; to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. The curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, and appreciate their surroundings and the area we live in throughout their time at Southfield Junior School.
Geography Implementation
To ensure high quality teaching of learning at Southfield Junior School, Geography is taught in all topics throughout the year so that children develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, achieving depth in their learning . Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills that are required in each topic and consideration has been given to ensure progression not only across each topic but also throughout each year group across the school. At the beginning of each topic, children are able to convey what they know already as well as what they would like to find out. This informs the programme of study and also ensures that lessons are relevant and take account of children’s different starting points. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.
Teachers will have access to the following documents to support planning and ensure quality teaching of Geography:
- Knowledge Overview: this shows an overview of each topic, identifying a key question which creates a stem for further questions and showing a breakdown of the National Curriculum for each year group.
- Medium Term Plan: this has clear teaching links with maths, vocabulary specific to the topic and enquiry questions for the children to explore.
- Skills Progression: the skills required to teach the National Curriculum have been broken down into progressive steps for each year group.
Cross curricular outcomes in geography are specifically planned for, with strong links between geography and maths planned for within the our school Medium Term Plans. The local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice . This provides children with experiences of their local area of Highworth and Swindon to learn about who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area special; allowing children to appreciate their surroundings and the area we live in.
Geography Impact
At Southfield, children will deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments. They will also have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment. Children’s geographical knowledge and skills will develop progressively as they move through the school, not only to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare them to become competent geographers in secondary education.