Our Geography Curriculum
At St Mary’s, we recognise that children are natural explorers and are eager to make sense of the world around them. Our geography curriculum is designed to nurture this curiosity, encouraging pupils to explore their local area of Fallings Park, the UK, Europe, and the wider world.
Children are taught Geography in rotation with History half-termly. Through their geographical studies, pupils develop key skills such as locating places on a map, interpreting scale, reading climate graphs, using coordinates to identify locations and analysing population data. They will also engage in fieldwork and use observational skills to examine the geography of their school and surrounding environment.
Our Geography curriculum is knowledge-rich and carefully structured. The curriculum specifies sequence, and builds knowledge and skills progressively over time. This approach ensures that as children advance through the school, they gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. A strong foundation in knowledge and skills is essential for developing a thorough understanding of physical and human geography. Both the knowledge and skills taught are coherently organised to ensure meaningful progression, helping pupils develop curiosity and fascination for the world.
This rigorous approach not only meets but exceeds the requirements of the National Curriculum. By building on children’s prior knowledge and making meaningful connections, the curriculum helps pupils understand how the world is interconnected.
Our ultimate goal is for pupils to leave St Mary’s as enthusiastic, conscientious geographers with a strong understanding of the world and their role within it. They will be well-prepared to continue their geographical learning in Key Stage 3 and beyond.
Geography in EYFS
The statements below outline the most relevant statements taken from the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) in the EYFS statutory framework and the Birth to 5 Matters age ranges for Nursery and Reception to match the programme of study for Geography.
The most relevant statements for Geography are taken from the following ELG – Understanding the World:
Nursery: Comments and asks questions about aspects of their familiar world such as the place where they live or the natural world…talks about why things happen and how things work…developing an understanding of growth, decay and changes over time…begin to understand the effect their behaviour can have on the environment.
Reception: Explore the natural world around them…making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants…know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments…drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class…understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them…including the seasons and changing states of matter.
Geography Documents
Please view the additional documents in school:
- Geography Knowledge and Skills Progression
- Geography Vocabulary Progression
- Geography Knowledge Organisers
- Geography Unit Markers
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