Geography Curriculum

 

Geography is the tapestry that weaves the world together

Gil Grosvenor

Intent

 

Here at Swinderby All Saints, our Geography curriculum is carefully planned to inspire curiosity and understanding about the human and physical aspects of the world. It seeks to provoke and provide answers to questions about diverse people, places and resources, whilst encouraging empathy for the challenges that shape our societies and environments. Our children will collect, research and analyse information. They will develop the ability to draw conclusions and shape well-balanced arguments. Our children will use resources such as maps, photographs, globes and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents, seas and oceans and explain their understanding in a variety of ways.

By revisiting areas and building on prior knowledge the children will know more, so that they understand more and can therefore do more. Our curriculum reflects both our immediate and regional Geography – helping our children to understand how the local area links and compares with national and international Geography. Where possible, field trips and the local area will be used to take learning outside of the classroom.

 

Our Geography learning will develop both the children’s topic-specific knowledge and also their generic, process knowledge and geographical skills - which apply to all areas of Geography. Examples include: how to collect and analyse data, how to interpret information, how to read maps, how to conduct meaningful fieldwork and how to communicate geographical information.

 

 

Implementation

 

Before Learning

 

• The children’s existing topic knowledge will be assessed and considered. Planned learning will be closely based on what the children already know and what they are curious about.
• At the start of each new topic, initial lessons will introduce the subject. This will allow children to quickly accrue a basic knowledge of the subject, give them the opportunity to develop curiosity in the subject and pose questions they want to find the answer to.
• Knowledge organisers will be used in each topic. These will include the key facts and vocabulary which are essential for every child to know. These will be referred to throughout the topic.

 

During Learning

 

• Each topic is launched through a memorable and exciting experience that engages learners and sets the foundations for the learning to come.
• Technical vocabulary for the topic will be explicitly taught prior to learning in which it is needed.
• At the beginning, and throughout the topic, children will consider how the Geography that they are learning fits with (and follows on from) what they already know.
• Subject progression through different year groups will be planned for by teachers; will be appropriately experienced by children and will be evident in books.
• All Geography topics will include lessons which involve geographical enquiry and investigation; where geographical skills are explicitly taught, referred to and explored.
• Children will be encouraged to be curious, phrase their own geographical questions and follow their own lines of enquiry.
• Our Geography curriculum has been carefully chosen to reflect local physical and human geography eg Farming, the Lincolnshire coastline and the Rivers Witham and Trent.
• Children will experience input from expert visitors, take part in fieldwork, go on school trips and have outdoor opportunities to develop knowledge.
• Children will have regular opportunities to carry out extended writing in Geography.
• Children will have regular opportunities to research, carry out field investigations and visit sites of geographical importance to give them the experience of ‘being’ a geographer.

 

We follow the national curriculum for Geography. Teaching and learning of Geography focuses both on geographical knowledge and geographical process knowledge and skills. Children are taught a range of Geography topics throughout their time at school giving them a broad understanding of the many areas of Geography.

 

A link to the national curriculum for Geography can be found here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-geography-programmes-of-study

 

We have a two year rolling cycle of topics. See Curriculum verview 2022-2024 which are set out in our Geography Progression document.  Details available upon request.  

 

Impact:

 

We will monitor the impact of children’s learning through:

 

• Reflection and evaluation of learning against the National Curriculum objectives as detailed in our Geography Coverage Overview.
• Tracking pupil knowledge through formative and summative assessments.
• Observations of lessons by SLT and subject leaders.
• Discussions with children.
• Monitoring books.
• Observing the children develop skills that they use outside of school.

	Geography Curriculum Overview 2025 to 2027	[pdf 623KB]
	Geography Policy March 2026	[pdf 233KB]
	SEND Adaptations for Geography	[pdf 227KB]