Geography Curriculum Intent

At Hale Academy we believe that through high quality teaching of Geography our children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. We aim to inspire in children a natural curiosity to ask questions about the natural and human aspects of the world and the people in it, taking this with them at each stage in their education.

The Geography curriculum at Hale 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. Our teaching equips pupils with knowledge about places and people; resources in the environment; physical and human processes; formation and use of landscapes. We also want children to develop geographical skills: collecting and analysing data; using maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents and oceans; and communicating information in a variety of ways.

We want children to enjoy and love learning about geography by gaining these knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits.

Geography Curriculum Implementation

At Hale Academy we follow a Thematic Curriculum and Geography is taught as part of half-termly topics, based upon the National Curriculum, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills and taught in each Key Stage. The progression map ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught are built on from year group to year group. The children’s knowledge and understanding are assessed to inform planning and enable skills and knowledge to be built on at each stage.

The geographical knowledge encompasses:
• locational knowledge
• case study knowledge
• human geography and physical geography.

The geographical skills encompass:
• comparing locations,
• traditional and digital mapping skills,
• using directional language
• effective geographical enquiries.

Links are made across the curriculum including British Values, inclusion and diversity within our country, sustainability, English, Science and PE. Additionally, opportunities to take learning beyond the classroom are sought wherever possible to allow pupils to apply their geographical skills in real-life settings. First-hand experiences have the ability to engage the whole child and make learning memorable and meaningful.

Geography Impact

Through our teaching and learning of Geography, pupils have a positive view of the subject and are able to enthusiastically communicate their knowledge of people, places and skills. Our children should have should have learned an extensive list of geographical vocabulary, developed their locational knowledge, identified physical and human features associated within areas that they have studied and be able to apply their geographical skills to a range of geographical enquiries.

At Hale we want the children to have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.

Subject Progression Map

Subject progression maps can be found here