Geography
Geography at Sandiway Primary School
Together, we take our children on a journey that is engaging, exciting and empowering for all.
At Sandiway Primary School we aim to:
Engage: Provide interesting facts about both the man-made and natural world and teach geographical skills, encouraging pupils to become well informed and responsible citizens of the future.
Excite: Plan exciting classroom and outdoor lessons that ignite pupils’ innate curiosity and interest in the world around them.
Empower: Ensure pupils experience a progressive curriculum that equips them with geographical knowledge, vocabulary and skills, important for success in the subject of geography.
What does our curriculum look like for geography?
Our ambitious geography curriculum challenges children of all abilities. Historically, our children have struggled to understand and separate subjects within a thematic approach so we have moved toward a subject specific approach with clearly defined subject disciplines.
We use the EYFS and National Curriculum guidance as well as the Rising Stars scheme of work as the foundations for our geography curriculum. We are now developing such foundations to create a bespoke curriculum for the children at Sandiway Primary School to ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced geography curriculum.
How is the Curriculum at Sandiway Primary School Structured?
Over the course of a year, each year group will meet three geography units of work, each unit having one over arching enquiry based question to act as a hook for the children's learning. Within each unit, up to six enquiry based questions are then used to break down the knowledge and skills required for the children to answer the over-arching question articulately.
Knowledge and skills are built upon within and between each geography unit to ensure children’s learning becomes more secure in the long term. Within each year group, the skills built upon are: map and atlas skills, fieldwork skills, compass directions, directional language. The knowledge focuses on: people and places.
Vocabulary development important across our curriculum at Sandiway and our geography curriculum is no different. We aim to challenge all pupils to use ambitious, subject specific vocabulary within each of our intended units of work.
Within our geography curriculum, we promote a love of reading and each class teacher ensures that their class library has access to challenging and engaging materials to deepen the children’s understanding of what they have been learning about within a unit.
How do we provide for all learners?
Our curriculum is equitable and appropriate for all groups ensuring full access and parity for all pupils. We provide a mastery approach to the geography curriculum and wherever possible, children access Quality First Teaching. Where further support or challenge is required, reasonable adjustments are made to meet individual needs, particularly for those with SEND or vulnerable individuals.
How do we enrich the curriculum?
Out of class learning experiences are offered where possible to enrich the learning experiences of all of our learners. Throughout their time at Sandiway, our children experience a variety of geography-based visits and/or visitors, some of which are in their immediate locality and others are further afield. Where appropriate, our residential visits from Y2 up to and including Y6 are linked to our geography curriculum in order to bring the curriculum to life and provide deeper, more meaningful learning opportunities for the children.
How do we assess the curriculum?
Teachers use formative assessment throughout a geography unit of work and where possible use the main enquiry question as a summative assessment at the end of a unit of work. Such assessments are used to plan next steps of learning for pupils to ensure that they are prepared for the next phase of their education.
What is the Impact of the curriculum?
As a result of our carefully planned, progressive curriculum, by the end of their time at Sandiway, our children will have a sound understanding of the world, its landforms, its places, the people within them. Through our teaching and learning of geography, our pupils have a positive view of the subject and are able to enthusiastically demonstrate their knowledge and understanding verbally and through their recorded outcomes.
Web page: Autumn Term 2023
If you would like more information about the school's geography curriculum, please contact the school's geography lead (Mrs Gemma Gotting) at ggotting@sandiway.cheshire.sch.uk