Geography at St Mark's

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 and understanding about diverse places, people, resources and natural 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.'

National Curriculum

Key Concepts and Big Ideas

• Understanding the impact of global warming 
• How location can impact on natural disasters
•  Where they fit into the bigger picture, developing their locational  knowledge
• Using fieldwork within their local area

INTENT

The intent of our Geography curriculum is to provide high quality education that children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. It inspires pupils' curiosity about the world and its people thus promoting the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments. It is also important for our children to develop a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.

The curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable with all year groups following the school's Geography skills progression documents. The Geography curriculum at St Mark's makes full use of resources including a range of maps with a focus on the immediate and wider local area enabling children to develop a deep understanding of their locality, as well as taking the chance to explore the local area through fieldwork. 

IMPLEMENTATION

Geography is taught throughout the year half termly (History and Geography alternate), so that children achieve greater depth in their learning. Key knowledge and skills for each topic have been identified and consideration has been given to ensure progression across topics throughout each year group across the school. At the beginning of each topic, children are able to convey what they know through entry passes. This informs the programme of study and also ensures that lessons are relevant and take account of children's starting points. The local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. 

Children's knowledge and skills develop progressively as they move through the school, not only to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare them to become competent geographers in secondary education.

Planning is informed by and aligned with the National Curriculum. Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school's commitment to inclusion. Outcomes of work are regularly monitored to ensure that they reflect a sound understanding of the key identified knowledge. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follows the 'Development Matters in the EYFS' guidance which aims for all children in reception to have an 'Understanding of the World; people and communities, the world and technology' by the end of the academic year. 

IMPACT

Outcomes in topic books, evidence a broad and balanced history curriculum and demonstrate the children's acquisition of identified key knowledge. Children review the agreed successes at the end of every session and are actively encouraged to identify their own target areas, with support from their teachers. Children also record what they have learned comparative to their starting points at the end of every topic through entry and exit passes. Photographs are also used to capture and document practical work that may take place such as developing map skills and conducting fieldwork studies. 

CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

We take every opportunity to bring learning to life through learning outside the classroom across the school. We take great pleasure in providing rich opportunities for children through school trips and talking to visitors with excellent knowledge of the subjects taught. We also believe in the importance of educating our children about the area that they live in. 

Where appropriate we have included learning outside the classroom opportunities with forest school allowing for map skills and coordination to be developed. We also are able to go to visit different sites and locations to conduct fieldwork studies, for example visiting Swanage town to identify human and physical features and study the types of services that Swanage offers to the local community in year 2. In year 4 they visit the coastal classroom and learn all about climate changes that Swanage faces and how coastal flooding affects the town. In year 5 they research the effects of tourism on Studland bay and the impact this has had on the spiny seahorses. 

Each class also completes projects at home linked to our topic learning, these can be maps/ models etc.