Our Geography Curriculum

Why Geography Matters
Geography helps children make sense of the world around them. It is about understanding places, people, and environments—locally and globally. Geographers are concerned with the local and the global. They explore how local, regional and national decisions have global impacts, and how regions and countries are interconnected through trade and shared resources.

Our curriculum encourages pupils to consider scale and develop the ability to ‘zoom in’ and ‘zoom out’ to view processes and their impact from local, regional, national and international perspectives.

Thinking Like a Geographer

The phrase ‘think like a geographer’ captures how pupils learn to:

• Use what they know from one context in another.
• Think about alternative futures.
• Consider their influence on decisions that will be made.

This approach helps children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare them for life in an interconnected world.

Our Aims

Through our geography curriculum, we aim to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop knowledge of globally significant places and their physical and human characteristics.
• Understand processes that shape landscapes and environments, and how these change over time.
• Learn to interpret maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping tools.
• Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including maps, graphs and extended writing.

How Geography is Taught

• Classroom Lessons: Pupils study topics that build locational knowledge, place knowledge, and understanding of human and physical geography.
• Fieldwork: Children engage in practical investigations of their local area and beyond, developing skills in observation, measurement and data presentation.
• Cross-Curricular Links: Geography connects with history, science, and literacy to deepen understanding and make learning meaningful.

Progression Through the School

• Early Years: Children explore their immediate environment and begin to notice similarities and differences in places.
• Key Stage 1: Pupils learn about the UK and its countries, continents and oceans, weather patterns, and basic map skills.
• Key Stage 2: Children study regions in the UK, Europe and the Americas, explore physical processes such as rivers, volcanoes and climate zones, and develop advanced mapping and enquiry skills