GEOGRAPHY

Geography at Messingham

At Messingham Primary School we recognise the importance of a high quality and engaging Geography curriculum. We believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world.  Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, its interconnectedness and their place in it. Our desire is to provide our children with a sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in.

Our intent:

We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, equipping them for further education and beyond. The curriculum is designed to ensure that teaching equips 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 through the school, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between these processes and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Our curriculum is designed to provide our children with the subject specific language they need to describe, question and discuss the world, as well as their place in it. Our pupils are encouraged to recognise that they have a voice and to use it confidently to debate topics that they feel passionate about, for example, deforestation or renewable energy. We aim to produce well- rounded individuals by providing our children with opportunities to expand their cultural capital and experiences of the world.

How we implement this:

Based upon the National Curriculum and the individual needs of our children, we have created a Geography progression of skills map, which sets out the objectives taught in each year group. Where possible, we take the opportunity to create links between History and Geography to help solidify the learning taking place. Teachers use questioning, and provide opportunities for discussion and investigation to support the development of vocabulary, which is explicitly taught and modelled by teachers in every lesson. Key geographical knowledge and language (such as, the name and location of continents, countries, capital cities and oceans) is revisited frequently, to make learning memorable, relevant and easy to retrieve.

The impact:

Our Geography curriculum is designed to demonstrate progression, embed current skills and build on prior learning. We measure the impact of our curriculum through book looks and informal learning walks by the subject coordinator to gain an insight of Geography teaching in practise. In addition to this, the subject coordinator conducts informal pupil interviews alongside the child’s learning journey to ensure that learning has been achieved sufficiently and can be recalled when prompted. Through this, it is evident that pupils are excited and curious about Geography.

For any queries regarding Geography at Messingham Primary please contact Miss Hilton our school’s Geography Coordinator.