Lawley Primary School

Geography at Lawley Primary School

Our school vision

The whole school community at Lawley have high expectations for our children, and strive to ensure they leave school as confident, polite and independent young people, with the appropriate skills, values and learning to become successful in whatever their future will be. We aspire to instil in all our children a desire to never stop learning and to have the courage to succeed in whatever they do, across all areas of school life and beyond. At Lawley we are ‘Planting the seeds, growing the future.’

Led by Lisa Burton

Intent

At Lawley Primary School, we recognise the importance of Geography to enable pupils to understand the relationships between places, the human and physical processes that shape them, and the people who live in them. We aim to inspire and enthuse our children to be interested in geography in order to help them to make sense of the world they live in. More than ever, becoming a confident, respectful, responsible and better-informed citizen and recognising the interdependence of each other is vitally important in order for our pupils to make a positive contribution to society in their future lives. 

Aims

In Key stage 1

Pupils will develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom, and their locality. They will understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.

In Key Stage 2

Pupils will extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They will develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Implementation

Teachers plan using our detailed KS1 and KS2 progression maps which have been directly linked to the knowledge and skills from the National Curriculum. This ensures progression in all strands of geography.

Much of the fieldwork is undertaken through out of school visits to make the subject more real to the children. At present the following takes place –

Geography is taught through 4 strands.

1.Locational Knowledge

2.Place knowledge

3. Human and Physical Geography
4. Skills and fieldwork

In Early Years Geography is taught through ‘Knowledge and Understanding of the World’. These key skills are the bedrock of children’s understanding of place and where they live. Most of this work is achieved through Child Initiated Learning with children being given practical opportunities to practice skills and talk about their learning.

Geography is very much planned in a cross curricular way and links with Science, History and English. Links are made at the medium-term planning level to ensure that children embed their learning.

Impact

Throughout the lessons, we regularly assess the children through discussions and observations observing their ability to complete tasks independently with or without support. We assess children by teacher assessment at the end of each unit of work.

It is important to us as a school to monitor the teaching of Geography to ensure it is being taught correctly and children are learning well, therefore the Geography coordinator will monitor the subject through book looks and pupil voice and give support to staff who require it.

The impact of this curriculum ensures that, by the time children leave Lawley Primary School, they will have developed a keen interest in finding out more about people and places around the world. They will recognise the importance of the interdependence of each other. They will be interested in the environment and how to make the world a better place in the future. Their skills will help them make sense of the ever changing world they live in.