Geography planning for KS1 and KS2 is based-upon the Kapow Geography scheme of work chosen because it ensures complete coverage of the key stage 1 and 2 Geography curriculum with knowledge-rich, high-quality digital resources.

Geography is delivered in Reception through the ‘Understanding of the World’ element of the Early Years goals.

In Key Stage 1 and 2 , Geography is allocated 1hour of curriculum time per week, 1 half term of each term. It is allocated 18 hours of curriculum time annually.

Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these four strands across each year group.

The progression of skills and knowledge shows the skills taught within each year group and how these develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. The Kapow Primary scheme is a spiral curriculum, with essential knowledge and skills revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning.

Locational knowledge, in particular, will be reviewed in each unit to coincide with our belief that this will consolidate children’s understanding of key concepts, such as scale and place, in Geography. Cross-curricular links are included throughout each unit, allowing children to make connections and apply their Geography skills to other areas of learning.

Our enquiry questions form the basis for our units, meaning that pupils gain a solid understanding of geographical knowledge and skills by applying them to answer enquiry questions. We have designed these questions to be open-ended with no preconceived answers and therefore they are genuinely purposeful and engage pupils in generating a real change. In attempting to answer them, children learn how to collect, interpret, present data using geographical methodologies and make informed decisions by applying their geographical knowledge.

Each unit contains elements of geographical skills and fieldwork to ensure that fieldwork skills are practised as often as possible. Kapow Primary units follow an enquiry cycle that maps out the fieldwork process of question, observe, measure, record, and present, to reflect the elements mentioned in the National curriculum. This ensures children will learn how to decide on an area of enquiry, plan to measure data using a range of methods, capture the data and present it to a range of appropriate stakeholders in various formats.

Fieldwork includes smaller opportunities on the school grounds to larger-scale visits to investigate physical and human features. Developing fieldwork skills within the school environment and revisiting them in multiple units enables pupils to consolidate their understanding of various methods. It also gives children the confidence to evaluate methodologies without always having to leave the school grounds and do so within the confines of a familiar place. This makes fieldwork regular and accessible while giving children a thorough understanding of their locality, providing a solid foundation when comparing it with other places.

Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and group work, including practical hands-on, computer-based and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles.

Although we are using a scheme, we implement the scheme according to the needs of the class. Teachers will adapt the planning in order to suit the needs of the class. This maybe through the resources used or how the information is presented.

Impact

The essential knowledge, skills and understanding within the Kapow Geography curriculum helps us guarantee that the learner’s essential skills are being developed, alongside National Curriculum requirements. Geographical questioning helps pupils to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of the world and its people. Through our curriculum, pupils learn to think critically, ask perceptive questions and evaluate evidence.

The impact of the curriculum, or subject areas, is the outcomes for the pupils. It includes what the pupils say and do, their attitude towards their learning in the different curriculum areas, and how they use and apply the knowledge and skills they acquire.

By the time children leave St Edmund's School they will:

• understand different locations around the world and their characteristics
• understand how human and physical environments are interrelated and the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected
• have a range of geographical knowledge and vocabulary
• have experience in geographical enquiry, including the ability to apply questioning and presentation skills 
• have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings
• be experienced in fieldwork and other geographical techniques
• have an interest in the subject and a sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there
• understand contemporary issues in society, including environmental awareness both in their own locality and worldwide

Assessments linked to geography take place throughout the academic year, and children are assessed against age-related expectations by their class teacher. Each year group has retrieval practice at the start of each lesson and, at the end of each unit, children carry out quizzes or record their learning on a double-page spread by answering key questions. The results of these assessments are recorded and are used to inform judgements linked to attainment and progress, and assessments linked to age-related expectations are shared with parents/carers in the end of year report. 

The impact of the geography curriculum at St Edmund's Primary School is assessed through subject-specific monitoring.  Accompanying evidence is provided through pupil book study, lesson visits, teacher's feedback book looks, learning walks and the analysis of data.

Oracy

Through our Geography curriculum, pupils have opportunities to develop their oracy skills by:

● Verbally responding to questions using geographical vocabulary.

● Summarising information from videos and texts.

● Collaboratively engaging in an enquiry cycle.

● Brainstorming initial ideas to address an enquiry question.

● Conducting interviews during fieldwork to gather information.

● Exploring issues through drama techniques (hot-seating, conscience alley and freeze-framing).

● Presenting findings to a range of audiences in person and using media.

● Performing songs and poems to enhance content knowledge.

Climate change

Kapow's schemes of work integrates climate change impacts across a range of units, sometimes through case studies and fieldwork opportunities, allowing children to contextualise what contributes to climate change in their local environment and to explore the environmental health of their locality. Lessons provide the opportunity for pupils to present suggestions on how to improve their locality to relevant audiences such as local councils.

We want to empower children to contribute towards positive change, understanding environmental issues well enough to make informed choices where possible, whilst acknowledging that socioeconomic factors might limit some actions. It is appreciated that not all children will have control over particular choices and therefore any actions are only suggested, and by no means directed, within lessons.