Geography

Intent

We are all geographers. Our engaging enquiry-led geography curriculum aims to inspire our children to develop a fascination for and understanding of the world they live in. We have designed a curriculum that is bespoke to the children in our school and their needs. On school entry, our pupils’ baseline in ‘Understanding of the World’ is often low which is why at Pentland we believe that the children need to learn about geography ‘through the soles of their feet’ beginning by exploring the geography on their own doorstep. It stimulates curiosity and allows the children to further develop their skills and knowledge about the place they live in. It also promotes an awareness of how to care for and protect the environment.

Pentland’s geography curriculum recognises and celebrates our pupils' heritage and their locality and is supported by the Heritage Schools Programme run by Historic England. We are committed to providing an exciting and positive learning environment in which all children are given the opportunity to learn how geography has influenced many aspects of our culture, beliefs, routines and developments of today and how these also impact on the future.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in geography, we implement the National Curriculum as well as incorporating cross-curricular Cornerstone’s topics to create a curriculum which is personalised to Pentland. Geography is delivered by class teachers in a variety of ways - often it is taught as a discrete subject but sometimes alongside others as part of a theme and occasionally serves to drive the literacy lessons.

Our environment at Pentland is decorated with images, stories, and objects from different places, providing children with many opportunities to explore and engage in different ways of living. Utilising our indoor and outdoor environments children are encouraged to explore the different features of their natural world. The curriculum encourages children to focus on their immediate environment the classroom, to around the school, extending their field work to the local area, then beyond. First-hand experiences and trips are also used to assist pupils' understanding of other places so that they make comparisons with their local area and bring their learning to life. Children are also given opportunities to learn about human and physical geography by exploring maps, atlases, globes and digital technology such as Google Earth.

We aim to promote continuity and progression throughout school and the curriculum aims to build upon pupils’ knowledge, understanding and vocabulary. All pupils are supported to develop their levels of literacy, especially oracy, by communicating their knowledge and skills.

Impact

The impact of our geography curriculum is that as our children progress through our school, they develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation for their local area and its place within the wider geographical context. Children will deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments. We aim to develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of people, places and cultures around the world. Outcomes in written work and ‘pupil voice’ will evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrate the children’s attainment of identified key knowledge. The overall aim is that the curriculum will enrich and impact the children’s lives and learning now and in the future, enabling them to be an active citizen in their community.

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