NATIONAL CURRICULUM AIMS

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• are competent in the geographical skills needed to:

• collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
• interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

OUR AIMS

Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for geography; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum; ensuring the progressive development of geographical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to develop a love for geography. Furthermore, we aim to 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 about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes (The 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England).

Geography teaching at Wateringbury has a wide application to everyday life, teaching the children to enjoy learning about the world and to have a better understanding of how people live in different locations.

At Wateringbury we strive for a geography education that drives a curiosity and fascination of the world and the people that live here.  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.

TEACHING METHODS

When teaching geography, teachers will follow the children’s interests where appropriate, to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced.

Opportunities are provided, through the units of work studied, to enable children to acquire field work skills, geographical skills and locational knowledge. The geographical enquiry aim is to inspire the children and stimulate an interest and curiosity about their immediate surroundings, places in the UK and the wider world, including the communities and people that live within them.

Geography teaching focuses on enabling children to think as geographers. Geography provides excellent opportunities to enhance the learning of more able pupils through the use of investigations, analysing sources and writing extended pieces. At Wateringbury CE Primary School we provide a variety of opportunities for geography learning inside and outside the classroom.

Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional geography learning outside the classroom. At Wateringbury CE Primary School, the children have had many opportunities to experience geography on educational visits. The children explore their local area (including orienteering within the school grounds and the local river) to develop their geographical understanding and make comparisons with other locations around the globe. 

HOW CHILDREN LEARN IN GEOGRAPHY

Geography threshold concepts:

• Investigate places

  This concept involves understanding the geographical location of places and their physical and human features.

• Investigate patterns

  This concept involves understanding the relationships between the physical features of places and the human activity within them, and the appreciation of how the world’s natural resources are used and transported.

• Communicate geographically

  This concept involves understanding geographical representations, vocabulary and techniques.

Essential characteristics of Wateringbury geographers:

• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like

• An excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.

• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.

• Fluency in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.

• The ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.

• Significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of the subject matter.

• Highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.

• A passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.

• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.