"Everywhere's been where it is ever since it was first put there.  It's called Geography." - Terry Pratchett

Intent

A high-quality Geography education will spark a lasting curiosity and fascination in pupils about the world and its people. It will equip them with knowledge of diverse places, people, resources, and both natural and human environments, alongside a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils advance in their studies, their growing knowledge of the world should help them understand the interaction between physical and human processes, as well as the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding, and skills offer frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features, at different scales, are shaped, interconnected, and evolve over time.

At Firs Primary School, our Geography curriculum is delivered through Cornerstones, offering an engaging and stimulating approach that encourages pupils to explore and question the area, country, city, and world in which they live. For us, Geography is about fostering a natural curiosity in our pupils to inquire, investigate, and learn more. Through our knowledge-rich curriculum, pupils explore the Earth's land, water, air, and living things, as well as the people who inhabit it. We pose thought-provoking questions that encourage children to discuss environmental issues and reflect on the impact of human behavior on the Earth.

Our chosen vehicle for delivering the Geography programmes of study is Curriculum Maestro - Cornerstones.

Our Geography overview:

Implementation

In EYFS and Key Stage 1, each Autumn Term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects: Let's Explore, Our Wonderful World and Let’s Explore the World. These projects introduce or revisit critical geographical concepts, skills, and knowledge, laying the foundation for further geographical learning. They also prepare children for more thematic geography topics in the following terms.

In the Spring Term of Year 1, children study Bright Lights, Big City, which focuses on the geography of urban environments and explores the physical and human features of the United Kingdom.

In Year 2, the Spring Term focuses on Coastline, where children study coastal geography in detail. This project introduces the geography of coastal environments and provides opportunities for in-depth fieldwork.

In Lower Key Stage 2, children begin with essential skills and knowledge projects: One Planet, Our World in Year 3 and Interconnected World in Year 4. These projects build on prior learning, enabling children to deepen their understanding of key geographical aspects and concepts while preparing them for thematic geography studies in the next term.

In the Spring Term of Year 3, children study Rocks, Relics, and Rumbles, which examines physical features and geographical phenomena, including earthquakes and volcanoes.

In Year 4, the Spring Term focuses on the physical features of mountains and rivers through the project Mountains and Rivers, which also provides opportunities for fieldwork.

In Upper Key Stage 2, children once again begin with essential skills and knowledge projects: Investigating Our World in Year 5 and Our Changing World in Year 6. These projects allow children to refine their geographical knowledge, skills, and understanding in preparation for more thematic studies in the following term.

In Year 5, the Spring Term features Sow, Grow, and Farm, which explores farming, agriculture, and rural land use.

In Year 6, children study the polar regions in Frozen Kingdoms, which provides an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of these regions, including environmental challenges.

Throughout the geography curriculum, there is comprehensive coverage of all national curriculum programmes of study.

Curriculum Maestro enables us to examine the sequencing of geographical concepts, vocabulary, and their connections with other subjects across the curriculum.

Geographical Concepts and Skills
Our curriculum is designed to systematically deepen children’s understanding of key geographical concepts outlined in the national curriculum, including place, space, scale, interconnection, and sustainability. Through these concepts, students make connections between different places, identify geographical contrasts, analyze trends in physical and human environments, pose geographically relevant questions, and develop informed conclusions. These concepts and skills are revisited and built upon in each unit and year group, progressively enhancing students' geographical understanding year after year.

Geographical Knowledge
We are mindful of the cognitive load placed on children, understanding that knowledge-rich content can become overwhelming when introduced all at once. To address this, we ensure that lessons present new geographical facts and concepts in manageable chunks. Each new topic builds on prior learning, with the teaching approach emphasizing the review and retrieval of key information.

In addition to knowledge acquisition, we place a strong emphasis on developing geographical skills. Substantive knowledge—the geographical facts that form the core content of the curriculum—is carefully integrated with disciplinary knowledge, which empowers students to apply these facts meaningfully. Substantive knowledge covers the breadth of the curriculum, including key abstract concepts such as location, environment, and sustainability. Disciplinary knowledge focuses on how students engage with these facts through geographical inquiry, analysis, and the application of geographical concepts. This approach encourages students to move beyond simple fact recall to actively engaging in geographical analysis and critical thinking.

Impact

How we measure the success of our Geography Curriculum:
Children will demonstrate:

• A solid understanding of key places, environments, and geographical contexts studied.
• The ability to think critically about geography and communicate their ideas confidently in various formats, tailored to different audiences.
• Skills in reflecting, debating, discussing, and evaluating geographical issues, while developing and refining questions and lines of enquiry.
• The ability to discuss and evaluate the merits of primary and secondary geographical sources, understanding their significance in constructing geographical understanding.
• A genuine passion for geography, fostering a deep curiosity about the world and enthusiastic engagement in their learning.
• A strong respect for geographical evidence, with the capability to use it thoughtfully and critically to support their explanations and judgments.

By the time pupils leave Firs Primary School, they will have developed the skills, knowledge, and understanding to succeed in Geography in secondary education and beyond with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people.

Useful websites:

www.natgeokids.com

https://www.ducksters.com/geography/

https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/geography-for-kids.html