Geography

Geography is a valued part of the curriculum, providing a purposeful means for exploring, appreciating and understanding the world in which we live and how it has evolved. Geography explores the relationship between the Earth and its people through the study of place, space and environment. Geography is concerned with pupils learning about their own locality, whilst becoming aware of and developing knowledge and understanding of the world beyond their own environment.

Geography encourages children to learn through experience, particularly through practical and fieldwork activities.  At The Free School Norwich we believe it is important to build a geographical curriculum that endorses the importance for outdoor learning to build a curiosity for learning to help them to know more, remember more and understand more.

Intent

The aims of teaching Geography in our school are:

• To inspire in pupils about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
• To provide pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments.
• To develop a growing knowledge about the world to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
• To obtain Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills.
• To enable children to learn and explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Implementation

Geography at The Free School Norwich is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each blocked topic and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, our teaching and resources help children build on prior knowledge alongside introducing new skills and challenge. All children expand on their skills in local knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork. Across both key stages, children have a range of opportunities to experience geography through practical engaging tasks beyond the classroom.

Impact

Outcomes in books, evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrate children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge relating to each of the identified national curriculum strands. This is in addition to the development and application of key skills, supported by fieldwork. As children progress throughout the school, they develop a deep knowledge, understanding an appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context.

Curriculum Progression

Your Child Will Learn…