Geography

The Intent of our Geography curriculum 

At Quernmore Primary School we aim to inspire our children’s curiosity to find out more about the world they live in and its people. We want our children to develop a life-long love of the subject and to learn more and remember more. 

The teaching of geography should provide children with the cultural capital that they will need to succeed in their lives beyond primary education. Through trips, visits and discussions of current affairs, children should become engaged with the world around them, at a local, national and international level. We want our pupils to develop a sense of agency and responsibility, as well as pride in their local community. 

Through the study of natural and human environments, as well as physical and human processes our aim is to provide our children with a sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in. Our curriculum is designed to enable children to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive and transferable to other areas of their learning. In addition, the knowledge and skills gained can be, and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 

The Implementation of our Geography curriculum 

In EYFS geography is taught via Early Learning Goals, linked to ‘Understanding of the World’. Geography is effectively taught through the children’s wider curriculum lessons and through their enhanced learning provision and environment. Children learn about features of their own environment such as school, home, community and their village or city. They learn about how environments differ through the sharing of books, stories, poems, small world play, role-play and visits. 

Our curriculum is based upon the National Curriculum and the individual needs of our children. We have also adopted the ‘Morecambe Bay Curriculum’ which works alongside our existing curriculum. This focuses on place based learning and celebrates the uniqueness of our own locality and how it fits into a regional, national and international perspective. The school grounds and our local area are fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. 

We have created a Geography progression map which sets out the objectives taught in each year group. Geography is taught as part of our two-year cycle for each age phase. We alternate our Geography and History topics ensuring that our children receive a well-rounded teaching of the humanities subjects throughout the year. 

The Impact of our Geography curriculum 

The impact of our Geography curriculum is measured in a variety of ways: questioning during lesson time, marking children’s written work, listening to child-led discussion, interviewing pupils across the school about their learning, book trawls and using images / videos of children’s practical learning, speaking with teachers to evaluate their own confidence in their planning, delivery and subject knowledge. 

By the end of the Geography curriculum at Quernmore Primary School our children will:

• Have a growing knowledge of the world and their place in it. 
• Have a wide vocabulary of geographical terms.
• Aspire to discover more about the world, through reading, travel or the media.
• Have a strong understanding of the concept of sustainability.
• Be problem-solvers for our future.
• Know that they can use their voice to express themselves and their opinions.  
• Have a strong sense of belonging to a community both within school and on a local level. Children will have taken an active part in many school and local events during their time at Quernmore Primary School.

Curriculum Map Progression Document