Intent
At Cathcart we aim to provide a geography curriculum which is creative, enquiry and fieldwork based which helps children to understand their world and how they fit in it, in order that they become better citizens. Our curriculum builds knowledge and concepts to enable pupils to group information or facts together. The three main organising concepts of geography are frequently said to be place, space and environment. Learning is focussed on geographical enquiry, decision-making and problem solving. As a result, children are enable to develop skills which are transferable across the whole curriculum.
Implementation
The curriculum is deliberately ambitious. It challenges pupils to make connections between places, geographical space and environment and therefore encourage relational thinking.
Due to the depth and breadth of coverage required, our KS2 curriculum is delivered through a fully researched, intelligently sequenced, knowledge rich curriculum, informed by the best evidence available and written by experts outside of our school. Through this, we are confident that key concepts as well as the discipline of geography itself is accessible for pupils. We are using a similar approach to the Key Stage One curriculum, which is currently under development.
Geography across the school is taught as a separate subject in a block of a six week term. The Key Stage One curriculum has been selected in order to ensure there is coverage of content and progression of skills as pupils move into Key Stage 2.
Programmes of study begin with knowledge organisers which give pupils the facts needed to access the unit. Teachers are provided with robust knowledge in order to deliver the lessons and children are encouraged to review their learning at the end of each session. The unit is supported by a local visit in order to provide children with local experience before their final assessment piece is produced which may include an essay, or a presentation.
Impact
Progress in geography is measured over time, and not necessarily in individual lessons, and can be demonstrated in pupils knowing and remembering more from the curriculum. Throughout the year key content is reinforced and memory built through short assessment and a focus on quizzes as learning.
Children review their learning at the end of every session in order for teachers to assess whether key content has been embedded along the journey. As children move through the school they acquire a deep understanding of their own geographical area along with a set of geographical skills and a way of thinking which can be evidenced in the wider curriculum.
By the time they leave, children will also have acquired an understanding of the types of jobs which require these specific skills gained in the study of geography and be inspired by those who do these jobs.