Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future.
Michael Palin.
A high-quality Geography curriculum, fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum for Geography, and using Cornerstones, will inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip 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.
We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local area of Padstow so they can develop a real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes their local area unique and special. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help 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 provides the tools and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.
Intent
Our curriculum for geography aims to ensure that all pupils:
• develop contextual knowledge of the location of places, seas and oceans, including their defining physical and human characteristics
• understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
• are competent in the geographical skills needed to: collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes • interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps and writing at length.
• Develop fluency in geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills, as well as effective presentation techniques.
• Gaining knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork and educational visits.
Implementation
Padstow School uses the Cornerstone’s curriculum because the geography projects are well sequenced and provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s geographical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. Geographical locations are not specified in the National Curriculum, so the projects have been chosen to provide a broad and diverse understanding of the world. Throughout the geography scheme, there is complete coverage of all National Curriculum programmes of study.
Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, geography projects are sequenced accordingly. For example, children revisit the geography of settlements in the history project School Days after studying types of settlements in the geography project Bright Lights, Big City. All geography projects are taught in the autumn and spring terms, with opportunities for schools to revisit less secure concepts in the summer term.
