Geography
Subject Vision: ‘The study of Geography is about more than memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exist across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.’- Barack Obama
We aim to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with our children for the rest of their lives, both in their immediate surroundings and wider afield. Our purpose is to instill a desire to investigate a variety of human and physical characteristics of different places, both local and afar, through purposeful research and careful questioning. To be well-rounded citizens, we believe children need to understand the differences between places and their cultures and be able to recognise how these change over time. Children will acquire the disciplinary geographical skills to help them understand, present, analyse and communicate a range of information either collaboratively or as an individual. We want children to recognize their distinct rural location as well as the diversity of the countries making up the UK and those in the wider world. Studying Geography will help them to make sense of the world around them and pique their curiosity in places and people – engaging them with the real world and spurring them into action.
Statement of Intent:
We seek to create a life-long love of the subject, through teaching our children about diverse places, people and resources. We want our children to ‘do’ Geography – that is learning to think like geographers - and see fieldwork as the vehicle for engaging and enabling them in locations – this will come through purposeful enquiry which stems from current issues and the children’s interests. Through the study of natural and human environments, as well as physical and human processes, our desire is to provide our children with a sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in, through a broad and rich curriculum that utilises our school’s area, residential trips and also places in the wider world. As they continue on their journey of Geography, we aim to foster a deep understanding of the subject that develops alongside their geographical skills. Our curriculum is designed to provide our children with the subject specific language they need to describe, question and discuss the world, as well as their place in it. Our pupils are encouraged to recognise that they have a voice and to use it confidently to debate topics they feel passionate about. We aim to produce well- rounded individuals by providing our children with opportunities to expand their cultural capital and experiences of the world. We deliver a knowledge-engaged curriculum. This means following a skills-progression curriculum model with knowledge underpinning the application of skills. The 2002 Education Act requires schools to provide a ‘balanced and broadly based curriculum’ which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children at our schools and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. We intend to deliver the 2014 National Curriculum in a purposeful, engaging and creative way by providing a broad curriculum that ensures there are enough subjects on the timetable and a balanced curriculum that ensures that each subject is given sufficient time to deliver its distinct contribution. The school curriculum is broader than the National Curriculum and our intention is to give children a richer and deeper experience that is not limited.