Our Intent for our Geography Curriculum

At Christ the King, Geography education entrusts us to show children how they can contribute to building a better world. Aligned with our faith, Geography enables us to establish shared human values to support, build and sustain a preferred future. Our aim is to inspire and promote analytical thinking about the world (God’s creation) in awe and wonder and our place within it. We want to ensure children develop their knowledge of location and relationships (space/navigation), environment both physical and human (place/location) and changes in perspective from the local to the global (scale/exploration).

Our Implementation for our Geography Curriculum

At Christ the King, Geography teaching is underpinned by the NC through using the Rising Stars geography scheme to help ensure progression and support good subject knowledge. Whilst in EYFS, Geography will be taught predominantly through the area of ‘Knowledge and Understanding of the World’. The curriculum has been designed to meet the individual needs of our children (progression map). Geography is taught in a half term block so learning is sequential and progressive; thus, allowing our children to know their previous learning and next steps. At the beginning of each unit children receive a knowledge organiser to outline the key concepts children will learn in a particular unit of work and expose them to key vocabulary. Each lesson pupils are given opportunity to showcase what they have learnt through answering a big question to help make learning more memorable. We support learning by providing opportunities for fieldwork to be carried out either locally or further afield. Teachers are also encouraged to use a range of resources and technology such as videos, photographs and newspaper articles to help to create an immersive learning environment.

The Impact of our Geography Curriculum

We believe the teaching of geography in our school will nurture each child’s identity and self-importance in the world. In order to ensure our aims and intent have been met, we scrutinise what children have learnt through:

• Questioning during lesson time (AFL strategies).

• Evidence in thematic books and learning journals.

• Assessing children’s knowledge of key component learning as set out within schemes of work.

• Assessing the quality of children’s explanation of ‘Big Questions’.

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary.

• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice conversations).

• Moderation and scrutiny of pupil’s books and professional dialogue between teachers to assess the quality of children’s learning.

• Sharing good practice in staff meetings.

• Marking of written work in books against the school’s marking policy.

SMSVC and British values in Geography at Christ the King School

We aim to develop SMSVC through Geography by:

Spiritual

• Using maps, photographs, digital media and other resources pupils to imagine what it might be like to live in different parts of the world.
• Comparing their lives with people living in other parts of the UK or other countries. Pupils are given the opportunity to empathise with children who are refugee’s moving to another county, victims of natural disasters or living in settlements with limited access to clean water.

Moral

• Considering how people treat the environment; posing questions such as, ‘How are we changing our surroundings – are some things for the better and others for the worse?
• Pupils will look at the impact of climate change and conjure their own ideas on sustainable development and consider its moral purpose.

Social

• Beginning in the classroom, Geography includes an understanding of identity and citizenship. Pupils are encouraged to work together and engage in role play in lessons
• Providing positive and effective links with the wider community, both locally and through linking with other schools with different demographics both in the UK and globally
• Considering social responsibility e.g care for the environment, impact of traffic on the local area, tourism.

Vocations

• Pupils are encouraged to consider, in Geography and Appreciation of the World, the many vocations where they can use both their Geography knowledge and skills
• Knowledge organisers include jobs relevant to the topic for pupils to consider future work.

Cultural

• Pupils explore a range of areas and the cultures that live in the countries and regions studied
• Case studies allow pupils to immerse themselves in alternative lifestyles and cultures. They are encouraged to explore their own feelings about people and places they learn about.

British Values in Geography at Christ the King

British values and the opportunity to use them are embedded in the Geography Curriculum.

Pupils will experience rules of law in other countries and societies and the impact this has on their environment. Pupils will understand that not all places follow the same democratic system of the UK. Pupils will be aware in their studies of the world that not all have the same individual liberties. Pupils will be remind that despite our differences in lifestyles and choices we should still show respect to the way in which they live their lives