Geography

General Statement

Within the Christian context of the Blue School, we perceive Geography to be concerned with the study of places, the human and physical processes which shape them and the people who live in them. At the Blue School children study their local area, contrasting localities within the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world and enables them to recognise the importance of sustainable development for the future of mankind. The National Curriculum Handbook 2014 describes the importance of Geography thus:

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Inspiration

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Aims

To develop the skills and attitudes required for the study of geography.
To provide a broad, balanced and progressive history curriculum based on the entitlements of the National Curriculum 2014, taking into account individual needs and interests.
To provide a stimulating, well resourced, safe historical environment which will harness the children’s curiosity about the past and stimulate their love of learning.
To foster a sense of wonder about the world.
Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both
How these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical
To develop children’s competence in geographical skills including mapping skills.
To develop an appreciation of the ethnic, cultural, economic and political diversity of human society and the interdependence of people, places and environments throughout the world.

Objectives

The aims are achieved by:

Teaching concepts, skills and knowledge through a variety of approaches including visits, use of sites and primary evidence.
Ensure geography is given a clear focus in teaching and is planned for carefully ensuring progression throughout the school.
Teaching children locational and place knowledge as well as human and physical geography.
Giving children opportunities to encounter practical and written geographical work and to develop a sense of place, to develop a concern for the environment and to become increasingly aware of the wider world.

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Early Years department we aim to explore geography through *Understanding of the World; The World and Creative sections of the development matters statements.

Geography plays a significant role in an Early Years classroom. Children are encouraged to appreciate other cultures through dress up, food tasting, studying cultural artefacts. In Reception the children complete a topic called ‘Around the World’ which allows children to experience other places and cultures.

Teaching and Learning

Entitlement
Geography is one of the foundation subjects established by the National Curriculum 2014 and children are required to follow designated programmes of study in order to achieve particular levels of attainment.

The geography curriculum changed as of September 2014. The Blue School uses a variety of schemes including those from the Geographical Association and Hamilton Trust. Each individual teacher should use the scheme as a basis for their planning and should identify the most appropriate teaching strategy to ensure maximum effective learning in any particular lesson, ensuring progression across the topic.