Geography

Intent

Be like a Geographer – We are… Explorers, Appreciators and Environmental Warriors.

We are all Geographers!

At St Paul’s, we believe Geography can inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. We feel it is important to nurture the children's inquisitive thinking and questioning skills to help them interpret what they see.

We have an aspirational curriculum that is adapted to meet the needs of the National Curriculum as well as interpreting the curriculum to meet the needs of our individual children including SEND and disadvantaged pupils. We aim for all children to have a love of learning and to flourish.

The curriculum at St Paul’s is designed with the pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development at its core. It provides children with the opportunity to broaden their ability to question/ debate/ discuss and challenge philosophical questions and develop their understanding of the world they live in.

The Geography curriculum ensures that academic success, through creativity and problem solving, growth mindset, well-being and mental health are the key elements that support the development of the whole child, improving cultural capital and promoting positive behaviours for learning. The Geography curriculum celebrates diversity and utilises learning opportunities and events to promote and develop pupils’ cultural capital, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in Modern Britain.

Our Christian values underpin all aspects of our teaching and learning. The school values are embedded into every Geography lesson.

EYFS: Enabling pupils to take on the role of a geographer: exploring, discovering and beginning to make sense of the world around them is an important consideration when planning for the seven areas of the EYFS framework. The main area entitled ‘Understanding the world’ presents the opportunity for pupils to reflect on the events and routines that they experience. EYFS need the opportunity to formulate questions to investigate the similarities and differences that exist between themselves and their understanding of the world. Through role-play the children can learn experientially about the different environments that different professions operate in and explain why some things happen the way they do in both the physical and human world.

KS1 and 2: Geography enables children to make sense of their world. However, a geography education needs to encompass more than this. It must provide opportunities which have a real effect on our pupils’ perception of themselves and their relationship with learning. It must enable them to develop a connection and understanding of the world and their place within it.

The National Curriculum sets out ‘the core knowledge and understanding that all pupils should be expected to acquire in the course of their schooling', but a core curriculum is not all that our children should be taught. A local and personalised element to the curriculum is essential to ensure that pupils are engaged with innovative and enjoyable learning that has relevance to their lives and work while challenging them to think about 'real world' issue.