The study of geography is much more than maps.  Geography gives us a sense of place, an understanding of the complexity of the world and our impact on it, and how natural processes affect both us and our planet.  Along with other humanities, geography reveals stories about people & places, how they interact with and depend upon one another and the Earth’s resources.  The Earth we live on is more than our inheritance, it is our legacy. Early education about this will ensure we leave Earth better than we found it.

Intent

At Broke Hall we believe that Geography helps to provoke questions and provide answers about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The Big Ideas for the Geography Curriculum at Broke Hall are: Place (locational knowledge), Space (physical features), Impact (how we interact with and have impact on our environment) and Connection (how places and people are connected).

The geography curriculum at Broke Hall enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills.
The curriculum is designed to ensure that teaching equips pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress through the school, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.

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.
We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, equipping them well for further education and beyond.

Implementation

Geography at Broke Hall is taught in units throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Geography may be linked into some History topics, where appropriate, to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of, for example, migration. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each unit and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively, and that children develop skills systematically (see Geography Knowledge and Skills Progression document). Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic, as part of the KWL strategy (What I know; What I would like to Know and What I have Learned).  Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.

Teachers are encouraged to utilise the school grounds and the local area for fieldwork to enable children to base learning on first-hand experiences to enhance teaching and learning in Geography.

Impact

Children will have developed the geographical knowledge and skills to help them explore, navigate and understand the world around them and their place in it. Children’s knowledge and skills will develop progressively as they move through the school, not only to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but to prepare them to become competent geographers in secondary education.