Purpose of Study:

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

 Aims:

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes;
• Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time;
• Are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
• Collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
• Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Intent:

At Grange Junior School, our Geography curriculum inspires curiosity and deepens children’s understanding of the world around them. Rooted in our core values—resilience, nurture, respect, challenge, and safety—our teaching ensures that children develop a strong sense of place, both locally and globally. Our curriculum is designed to broaden children’s understanding of different places, cultures, and environments, fostering an appreciation of diversity and a recognition that differences and similarities between people and places should be explored, understood, and celebrated. The curriculum follows a coherently planned and carefully sequenced structure so that pupils build geographical knowledge and skills progressively and cumulatively across the key stage, fully meeting the aims of the National Curriculum. By engaging with real-world issues such as climate change, sustainability, and global trade, children develop a sense of responsibility for our planet, understanding how their actions can contribute to a more sustainable future. We foster resilience by encouraging children to think critically, ask questions and explore complex geographical issues, such as climate change and sustainability. Through nurture, we create a supportive learning environment where every child feels valued and confident to express their ideas, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being (though carefully planned support and scaffolding). Alongside this, due to the children’s ever-growing knowledge of the world around them, it promotes ways in which we can protect our planet and fosters a sense of responsibility, which is carried through to later life. We promote respect by helping children appreciate diverse cultures, environments, and perspectives, encouraging responsible global citizenship. Geography is taught as a standalone subject but is meaningfully integrated into Literacy, Numeracy, and whole-year-group topics, ensuring engaging and high-quality learning experiences. This includes Geography complementing subjects such as Literacy (through analysis/explanation writing and discussion), Maths (through data handling and coordinates), and Science (through climate studies and ecosystems). Our curriculum provides challenge by developing key geographical skills, including map reading, fieldwork and data analysis, while also enabling children to make connections between human and physical geography. We prioritise safety by teaching children to understand and assess environmental risks, whether in their local area or in wider global contexts. Through hands-on experiences, including fieldwork and visits to the local environment, children develop a strong personal identity and a sense of responsibility for the world around them. By exploring relevant and memorable topics, we nurture independence and a love for learning, empowering children to see their place in an interconnected world.

Implementation:

Our Geography curriculum is structured around the HIAS enquiry wheel, ensuring a progressive development of geographical knowledge, skills and understanding. Each unit is driven by a carefully chosen enquiry question that encourages pupils to investigate, analyse and evaluate geographical concepts through a wide range of purposeful activities, including map work, fieldwork, research and structured discussion. Learning is sequenced to build upon prior knowledge and explicitly develop key geographical skills, which are assessed at the end of each unit to ensure pupils are equipped to meet, and go beyond, the expectations of the National Curriculum. Lessons are designed to be interactive, immersive and inclusive, making geography accessible and meaningful for all pupils regardless of background, prior knowledge or starting point, with high-quality resources such as atlases, digital mapping tools, case studies, globes, books and carefully designed presentations used alongside thoughtful scaffolding and adaptive teaching strategies, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being (though carefully planned support and scaffolding), while maintaining high expectations for all. To nurture a strong sense of place, pupils begin by exploring their local environment before progressively broadening their understanding to national and global contexts, with fieldwork forming a crucial component of the curriculum and enabling pupils to apply their learning in real-world settings such as studying local land use, conducting surveys or investigating the impacts of natural hazards including earthquakes and volcanoes. Regular opportunities for oracy, discussion and debate support pupils in articulating geographical concepts with confidence, promoting independence, resilience and deeper understanding. A planned annual Geography Day celebrates the diverse personal identities and nationalities represented within the school community, enriching pupils’ understanding of the wider world and fostering respect, empathy and positive relationships, while learning is shared through displays, family celebrations and engagement with the local community, including the whole-school “Where in the World Am I From?” display, which pupils regularly contribute to and use as a stimulus for meaningful discussion about cultural similarities and differences. Sustainability and global responsibility are woven throughout the curriculum, ensuring pupils develop a secure understanding of environmental challenges and their role as informed, responsible global citizens, and by studying different cultures, traditions and ways of life, pupils gain a deeper appreciation of how communities around the world are interconnected and how geographical knowledge empowers them to understand and engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

Impact:

The Geography subject manager carries out termly monitoring of work based around when specific year groups are delivering the subject. This is completed through book monitoring and scrutiny of samples of work which is used to establish the effectiveness of units of work, delivery of teaching and the content taught. This also provides opportunities to provide meaningful feedback and provide any support to develop subject knowledge for others, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being (though carefully planned support and scaffolding). It also gives opportunities to share best practice and celebrate great examples of learning and success within the subject. These reviews provide points for further professional development within the subject at both an individual, cohort or whole school level. Additionally, pupil conferencing is used to gauge opinion on topics and ensure that it remains stimulating, engaging and provides sufficient challenge to all. When assessing children’s progress, they’re assessed against a number of specific skills. Children evaluate their understanding at the beginning of a unit and then again at the end to provide self-reflection of the progress they have made in purple pen. This self-evaluation informs AFL and provides opportunities for potential next steps and identifies any areas of development against the key skills taught. Planning can then be adapted as necessary. Children have planned opportunities to share and celebrate work with family and friends. By the time children leave Grange Junior School, they will have:

• A secure knowledge of key geographical concepts, including place, space, and interconnections;
• The ability to think critically and ask questions about the world, demonstrating curiosity and independence;
• A strong sense of place, understanding their local area and how it connects to the wider world;
• Developed key geographical skills, such as map reading, fieldwork techniques, and data analysis;
• A deep respect for different cultures, traditions, and ways of life, recognising the importance of celebrating diversity;
• An understanding of how human and physical processes interact, leading to an appreciation of sustainability and environmental responsibility;
• The confidence to express their ideas, make informed decisions, and take an active role in discussions about global issues.

Through our ambitious and engaging Geography curriculum, children leave our school as informed, responsible, and globally aware citizens, ready to contribute positively to an ever-changing world.