Geography Intent, Implementation & Impact

Intent

At Ferrars our intent is to foster a fascination and curiosity about the natural and human aspects of the world through the teaching of Geography. Children are encouraged to develop their knowledge about the world that the children live in and help them to enjoy learning about different global communities and link this to their relationships between people and landscapes. We aim to equip our children in becoming global citizens and work with others to make our planet more sustainable. We hope that our children will become passionate advocates of a more sustainable future and to be actively involved in protecting our environment. At Ferrars we want to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.

Implementation

Geography is taught discretely in school, as we recognise the importance of the subject. Our curriculum is designed so that meaningful geographical knowledge and concepts are carefully sequenced for progression and depth, allowing children to build on prior learning and prior skills.

As pupils progress through KS2, they make connections independently, building upon their prior knowledge. This helps them to ‘ think like a geographer’ by forming their own questions and making links to Geography in different subjects. Geographical knowledge and skills are progressive and are sequenced to provide the framework and approaches that provide explanation of how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time. Wherever possible we make links with other curriculum areas and in particular science and history.

At Ferrars we have an Eco club that has achieved the bronze award and are currently working towards the Silver. This forms part of our pupil voice and impacts the school as a whole as they undertake sustainable projects throughout the year.

Worldle is also used across the school as quick activity where children identify countries and islands around the world, using atlas and map skills, which leads to an improved knowledge of which continents countries are on and how far away from their home country. They use this knowledge to make links with current affairs around the world.

Impact

By the time children leave Ferrars Junior School they will:

• Have a secure knowledge of where places are in relation to continents and countries.
• Have a secure understanding of the ways in which places are dependent or connected and how much human and physical environments can be interrelated.
• Have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Be fluent in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
• Have the ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.
• Have developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
• Have a curiosity to find out about the world, the people who live in it and the ecosystem which we depend upon.
• Have the ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.

We will monitor the impact by scrutinising and supporting the planning process, assessing and recording the information on our electronic tracking system DcPro, learning walks, book looks and speaking to children and teachers.