Geography

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.

Psalm 24:1

Intent

At Brindle St James’ CE Primary School, we are geographers!

We aim for all our children to grow and flourish though high- quality teaching of our broad and balanced curriculum which is “rooted in God’s love.” Many of our children arrive with a secure and growing understanding of the world around them, shaped by their experiences of rural life, outdoor environments and strong community links. Our geography curriculum is designed to build upon this foundation, broadening pupils’ perspectives to become curious and explorative thinkers who can grow up with the confidence to question and observe places. We intend for children to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.  

Our curriculum encourages:
• A strong focus on developing both geographical skills and knowledge.

• Critical thinking, with the ability to ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence.

• The development of fieldwork skills across each year group.

• A deep interest and knowledge of pupils’ locality and how it differs from other areas of the world.

• A growing understanding of geographical concepts, terms and vocabulary.

Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum. The aims also align with those in the National curriculum. For EYFS, the activities allow pupils to work towards the ‘Understanding the world’ Development matters statements and Early learning goals, while also covering foundational knowledge that will support them in their further geography learning in Key stage 1.

Implementation

We teach Geography following an ambitious yet accessible spiral curriculum. Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within the four strands across each year group ensuring a balanced coverage of both substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Essential knowledge and skills are revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Locational knowledge, in particular, will be reviewed in each unit.

The Four Strands: 

• Locational knowledge.
• Place knowledge.
• Human and physical geography.
• Geographical skills and fieldwork.

Our mixed- age classes are taught in cycles supporting the progression of skills across the age range. Our Progression of skills and knowledge shows the skills taught within each year group and how these develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. Geographical key concepts are woven across all units rather than being taught discretely.

Geography is taught for one hour per week, alternating with History every half-term. Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and group work, including practical hands-on, computer-based and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.

EYFS

The EYFS units provide a solid foundation of geographical skills, knowledge and enquiry for children to transition successfully onto Key stage 1 Geography learning, whilst also working towards the Development matters statements and Early Learning Goals. These units consist of a mixture of adult-led and child-initiated activities with a focus on outdoor learning.

Enquiry

Enquiry questions form the basis for our Key stage 1 and 2 units, meaning that pupils gain a solid understanding of geographical knowledge and skills by applying them to answer enquiry questions. These questions have been designed to be open-ended. In attempting to answer them, children learn how to collect, interpret and represent data using geographical methodologies and make informed decisions by applying their geographical knowledge.

Fieldwork

Each unit contains elements of geographical skills and fieldwork to ensure that fieldwork skills are practised as often as possible. Kapow Primary units follow the enquiry cycle that maps out the fieldwork process of question, observe, measure, record, and present.

This ensures children will learn how to decide on an area of enquiry, plan to measure data using a range of methods, capture the data and present it in various formats. Our rural location and outdoor learning environment are a key strength of our geography provision. This makes fieldwork regular and accessible. Fieldwork includes smaller opportunities on the school grounds to larger-scale visits to investigate physical and human features and support learning about landscapes, settlements, land use and sustainability. These experiences enable pupils to make comparisons with contrasting locations, helping them to understand diversity, interdependence and change.

Enrichments

We enhance our geography curriculum by carefully planning visits and inviting visitors that bring real-world expertise and local context to our learning.

Impact

The impact of our enquiry- based curriculum is measured through formative and summative assessment against the National curriculum expectations for Geography. Teachers use unit quizzes and knowledge catchers to assess children’s understanding to inform future lessons, ensuring that children are supported and challenged appropriately. The data gathered from assessment is tracked and analysed each term to address any trends or attainment gaps. The summative assessment at the end of the year is completed to assess where each child is working at. Geography is monitored each term by the subject leader through pupil book studies. These evaluations of the impact of the curriculum aim to highlight strengths and achievement as well as identify any improvements, skills or knowledge that need to be focused on. 

After implementing Kapow Primary Geography, pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills and knowledge to enable them to study Geography with confidence at Key stage 3. We hope to shape children into curious and explorative geographers with respect and appreciation for the world around them.

The subject leader for Geography is Mrs Baldwin.

Climate Change Ambassador Visitor

Caitlyn, a Climate Change Ambassador, from Chorley Borough Council came to deliver a whole school assembly to tell us more about the importance of reduce, reuse and recycle. Children took part in an interactive quiz then had the opportunity to ask questions about how they can recycle more effectively at home and at school. Click this link to see the assembly- Reduce, reuse, recycle presentation

Eco Council

At Brindle St James' CE Primary School, our Eco-Council aims to educate the wider school community about environmental issues and work towards making our school more sustainable. 

The Eco-Council is pupil-led and consists of one child nominated to represent each class from Year 1 to Year 5 and two children from Year 6. These pupils play key roles in decision-making and participate in reducing the environmental impact of the school. The Eco-Councillors, elected by their classmates, are dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who work hard to improve and develop the school for the better. They share the committee’s ideas and suggestions to the whole school, through assemblies and in newsletters to our school community. In this way, Eco-Council extends learning beyond the classroom and develops responsible attitudes both at home and in the wider community.

Eco Council Visit to Eco Town

The Eco Council visited Eco Town Environmental Education Centre at Farington Waste Recovery Park. They saw first- hand how Lancashire's household waste is recycled and reused carefully. They will now share how we can all make small changes to make a positive difference to our environment with the rest of the school.