Geography
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
Geography Intent
Geography at Holy Family promotes children’s curiosity and understanding of diversity in our world in relation to places, people, resources and natural and human environments, alongside nurturing children’s understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
We hold our local community in high esteem. We provide children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about their local areas of Swindon and Wiltshire, so that they can develop of real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our community unique and special.
We encourage our students to think, act and speak like those working in a geographical field would: to research thoroughly, to collect and analyse data, to use maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to develop their knowledge of our world and to communicate their knowledge in different ways: skills which are invaluable to their future lives in education and beyond.
Aims
- An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
- An excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
- An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
- Fluency in complex, geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
- The ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.
- Significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of the subject matter.
- Highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
- A passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.
The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in very good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment
Geography Implemntation
Our Geography scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world; in other words, to think like a geographer. We want pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, measure and record necessary data in various ways, and analyse and present their findings. Through our scheme of work, we aim to build an awareness of how Geography shapes our lives at multiple scales and over time. We hope to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.
We use the Kapow scheme of work which covers the key National Curriculum requirements for geography under 4 key strands:
Our scheme encourages:
• A strong focus on developing both geographical skills and knowledge.
• Critical thinking, with the ability to ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence.
• The development of fieldwork skills across each year group.
• A deep interest and knowledge of pupils’ locality and how it differs from other areas of the world.
• A growing understanding of geographical terms and vocabulary.
Geography Impact
Our pupils leave Holy Family Catholic Primary School as global citizens with the knowledge to think, act and speak like a geographer and they value the transference of these skills into their everyday life, in education and beyond.
Curriculum Documents
Geography Progression of Knowledge and Skills
Geography Whole School Overview
Geography Vocabulary Development