Statement of Intent : Geography

At Harton Primary we believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The geography curriculum at Harton Primary enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops and understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills. We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives; to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. The curriculum is designed develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, throughout their time at Harton Primary and also to their further education and beyond.

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Geography is taught as part of a half-termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. We ensure that geography has the same importance given to it as the core subjects, as we feel this is important in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences. For example, using the local area to follow maps in Key Stage 1, to comparing the similarities and differences in environments and communities in Lower Key Stage 2, through to debating world issues on pollution in Upper Key Stage 2. This approach is crucial for all learners in all key stages, but we recognise that it is of particular value in our context, due to the higher than average proportion of students who are disadvantaged or who experience some form of SEND. Through our planning and implementation we aim to grow children’s subject vocabulary through learning the definitions of key words to link to each lesson as Vocabulary is a key driver for our whole curriculum as a high proportion of students start school with levels of vocabulary that are lower than is typical for their age.

The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Harton Primary are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world. We want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.

At the end of each key stage, the children’s learning is assessed against the age-related expectation bands that are based on the 2014 National Curriculum statements for Geography. At Harton Primary, we use summative assessment to determine children’s understanding and inform teachers planning. This is reviewed on a termly basis by the subject leader, who also carries out regular learning walks, book scrutinies and lesson observations.