Geography

Gospel Quote:

“Go in peace. Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”

Subject Quote:

“The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exist across continents. And… it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.”

President Barack Obama

Introduction

At Our Lady’s we want every child to be inspired, curious and fascinated about the world and its people. We want them to be enthusiastic and excited learners of Geography.

Intent

At Our Lady’s we seek to provide a range of positive experiences in Geography, formed through stimulating, varied and thought-provoking opportunities to learn. Our Lady’s pupils will develop the geographical skills needed to collect and analyse information, gather first hand experiences of the environment and be confident using their independent skills to carry out geographical enquiries.

Children will be enabled to interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes and photographs and communicate geographical findings and viewpoints in a variety of ways.

Implementation

Geography at Our Lady’s is planned and taught so that children develop knowledge , skills and key vocabulary to explain and express their observations and understanding of the various topics explored.

Carefully planned topics of learning in geography ensure consistency and progression for all learners. At the beginning of each topic, children are able to convey what they know already as well as what they would like to find out. This informs the programme of study and also ensures that lessons are relevant and take account of children’s different starting points. Cross curricular outcomes in geography are specifically planned for, with strong links between geography and all curriculum subjects, especially English and Maths.

Cultural Capital

At Our Lady’s we recognise that we live in an ever changing world, and we provide pupils with the chance to develop an awareness of themselves and their place in the world, of different peoples and places and of how people use the earth and interact with one another. They learn to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation and its diverse lands, oceans and climates as well as the diverse people who inhabit this planet. All children are on their own individual journey but should be confident in their knowledge of the world around them both near and far, and the opportunities that exist for them, no matter where their path begins or takes them.

Core Values

At Our Lady’s we recognise the importance of providing our pupils with the opportunity to learn about the British values throughout all aspects of their learning. Geography at Our Lady’s addresses British values through our curriculum. Mutual respect is taught and given when children are expressing their opinions and beliefs about different geographical parts of the world and societies in them. The geography curriculum at Our Lady’s also helps to demonstrate the diversity of people’s backgrounds helping children to have further tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

We have respect for our fellow pupils and encourage everyone to have the confidence to express their ideas and opinions regarding geographical issues such as pollution, environmental issues, water and globalisation. We promote mutual respect through working together to make our world a better place. At Our Lady’s we have an eco committee including children from every year group. As a school we work together to make our school more eco friendly through making small changes together such as being aware of the importance of recycling and creating an environment for wildlife to thrive in our school grounds.