At Oak Tree, we aim to develop confident geographers, who have a secure understanding of the key geographical concepts. These include:

• Place       
• Space         
• Scale             
• Environmental Impact and Sustainability       
• Interconnections                      
• Cultural Awareness and diversity               
• Environment (physical and human processes)

The National Curriculum 

The national curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

•  develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• are competent in the geographical skills needed to:

        - collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through

          experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical            processes

        -interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps,           diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information                   Systems (GIS)

        -communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including                 through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Intent

• Pupils are encouraged to have a curiosity for the world around them and understand that to become true geographers they must ask investigative questions, why?
• The Geography curriculum is designed to develop skills and knowledge that are progressive as well as transferrable.
• All pupils can access the Geography curriculum appropriate to their needs- support for specific pupils can be provided, with consideration to children who require further challenge.
• Pupils develop skills and knowledge that are transferrable to other curriculum areas and which can and are used to promote their moral, social and cultural development.
• We aim to ensure that when pupils leave us, they will have an inherent fascination and care for the world and its people.
• Pupils will have the knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments.
• Pupils will have a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
• Pupil’s growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes.
• Pupils will develop local, national and international knowledge of the world, including their defining physical and human characteristics.
• Pupils will learn about their local area and town and how it has changed over time.
• They will develop their knowledge and understanding of different countries in the world.

Implementation

• Key concepts are revisited year on year to consolidate pupils understanding.
• Knowledge taught builds on prior learning and is therefore more in depth.
• Increasing complexity of subject specific language and precision is expected. A glossary is used to record this and children are constantly referring to it throughout the year.
• Geography is taught to a high standard discretely however it is planned to complement History topics.
• Each topic has an over-arching enquiry question, which links to the learning question for each lesson allowing children to build curiosity, ask questions and investigate answers in a variety of ways.
• Knowledge organisers show precise knowledge and vocabulary that children will learn in each topic.
• Children develop their knowledge and understanding using a range of sources including maps, atlases, globes, digital/ computer mapping to locate places, countries, and continents, and describe features.
• Children take part in fieldwork in the local area and further afield to gain first hand experiences.
• Sticky knowledge quizzes and exit tickets are used throughout topics to ensure that learning has been embedded.

Impact

• Children have a love of Geography and a secure sense of place, they are encouraged to undertake new life experiences.
• We aim to provide our children with life skills that they will continue to use in the future.
• Pupils have robust knowledge and can therefore talk about a range of diverse places and people using subject specific vocabulary.
• Children have excellent knowledge of key geographical vocabulary and can confidently apply it in the correct context.
• Pupils have a growing knowledge about the world and a deep understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
• Pupils will communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantities skills and writing at length.
• Children are able to make comparisons between local, regional, national and international localities that have been studied.