‘Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments.’

Intent: What do we aspire for our children in Geography at The Epiphany School?

The Epiphany School Geography curriculum is designed to give children opportunities to investigate enquiries about our local area and diverse places, as well as the interaction between physical and human processes within these locations. We believe that this will not only provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of these processes, but also inspire their curiosity about the world.

We have designed an ambitious Geography curriculum, which enables children to achieve highly, through progressively knowing more, remembering more and doing more through EYFS to Year 6. This is achieved through increasingly challenging end points of learning.

Our enquiry approach helps pupils develop disciplinary knowledge, which enables them to make links and connections between the natural world and human activity, as well as to understand the kind of questions Geographers ask such as ‘Why is this place like it is?,’ ‘How is it changing?’ and ‘What will be the costs and benefits of these changes when they happen?’  This is supported by key vocabulary, which is identified and taught within each unit of work and built on from EYFS to Year 6.

In our Geography curriculum, concepts are used as the big ideas within the subject discipline. These help pupils make sense of what they are being taught so that meaning can be made and connections formed; this will develop children’s growing schema. Concepts such as processes, environment and interdependence, are interwoven into the unit of work so that children deepen their understanding of how to act as a Geographer.

We recognise that the knowledge and understanding of History and that of Geography is linked, because both subjects focus on people in different places at different times; the Geography of our world has played a huge part in world History also. Therefore, at The Epiphany School, our History curriculum compliments our Geography curriculum, so that the sequencing within both subjects is relevant to one another.

Implementation: How do we deliver our Geography curriculum?

In line with our whole school curriculum intent, key concepts are embedded and developed throughout our Geography curriculum.

Impact: How do we know our curriculum is effective?

Assessment: Assessment will take place in line with the school’s assessment policy. Identified key learning and end points of learning provide criteria by which to assess pupils, supporting teachers to ascertain what pupils know and can do. Teachers should assess pupils throughout lessons and plan subsequent teaching and learning in response to this. Assessment will take many forms including teacher observation, rich questioning, talking with pupils and marking children’s work.

High quality outcomes: Pupils should be articulate and knowledgeable about their learning. Work produced will be presented in children’s books.

Monitoring: Monitoring activities may include pupil interviews, informal discussion with staff, looking at pupils’ work, examination of planning and learning walks in order to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum in meeting the intent.

Supporting documentation

• Long Term Curriculum Overview
• Long Term Plan for Geography: KS2
• Long Term Plan for Geography: KS1
• Long Term Plan for Understanding the World: EYFS
• Geography Medium Term Planning
• Geography progression
• Geography vocabulary overview