Intent
At The Whitchurch Church of England Federation, our intent is to give children a secure understanding of:

 

• The location key terrestrial and marine locations

• The human characteristics of the places they study

• The physical processes that act upon these places  

 

We further aim to equip all children with:

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• The geographical skills required to fully understand what they study

• The technology to enhance their learning about the world

• A range of methods to present geographical information including maps, numerical data and writing at length 

 

GEOGRAPHY KEY KNOWLEDGE

To develop the children's geographical understanding, they are introduced to key concepts in a sequential way, with year groups building on the learning from the previous year. 

 

Each year group has milestones for the children to work towards to ensure they are making progress in both their knowledge and skills. Teachers test this understanding at the end of each year to ensure that children are well prepared to continue their learning about the world around them in their next class.

 

CULTURAL CAPITAL

Cultural Capital is the collection of skills and experiences which children need to help them thrive in the wider world. 

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Our Geography provision (including out of school trips linked to Geography topics) aims to give the children a diverse set of encounters and skills which will be valuable to them long after they leave Year 6. These include:

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• Visits to the local area

• Visits to local areas of woodland

• Zoo visits and 1:1 animal encounters

• A visit to the coast

• Opportunity for outward bounds experiences in Year 6

• Visits from external agencies, such as environmental teams, Rivers and                                                        Water Safety Team

• A deeper understanding of current global issues

• Learning to use and create maps

• Learning to give and to follow directions

• Engaging effectively with new digital technologies.

 

CROSS CURRICULAR LINKS

The skills and knowledge the children use in Geography complement those in the rest of the curriculum. These are just some of the ways that Geography links to other areas of their study:

 

READING

Each year group reads at least one text which has been based on their Geography topic.

WRITING

Children produce pieces of extended writing in English lessons based on the text they have studied.

MATHS

Children encounter statistics, produce charts and graphs and use directional language.

COMPUTING

Through 1:1 iPad usage, the children explore Geographical Information Systems like Google Earth.

SCIENCE

Children are used to making observations and recording data in their Science lessons. These skills are reinforced through fieldwork in Geography.

ART

Children use their drawing skills to produce different kinds of maps; from creative 'Messy Maps', using items from around the classroom, in Year 1 to more traditional maps drawn at a variety of scales.

RE

Just like in RE, the children are encouraged to think critically and thoughtfully about the world in which they live. This is particularly the case in Upper KS2 where the children tackle some of the most important topics facing humanity today.

 

GEOGRAPHY SKILLS AND FIELDWORK

Geographical skills and fieldwork are key parts of the children becoming geographers! They don't just learn about geography - they do the things that geographers do!

Including:

 

• Using maps, globes and atlases

• Giving and following compass directions

• Working with data and statistics

• Taking part in fieldwork activities to observe, measure and record