At Saint Augustine’s, our Geography curriculum aims to provide our learners with a sense of their physical location within the world. We want to ensure that through Geography, teaching equips children with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with an understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Learning about geographical understanding begins at a local level and expands to encompass national and international understanding. Our high quality Geography curriculum has been carefully designed and sequenced to enable our children to deepen their knowledge and understanding, and our curriculum content is knowledge, vocabulary and experience rich. We develop the children’s geographical skills of collecting, analysing and communicating data gathered through fieldwork; interpreting a range of sources such as maps, diagrams, globes and communicating geographical information in a variety of ways.

Our Geography curriculum is designed to have a clear progression throughout the school, within Foundation Stage we use ‘Understanding the World’ (specifically People, Cultures and Communities and The Natural World) and for Years 1-6 we use the National Curriculum programmes of study as our guide. At the beginning of each new area of learning the children have the opportunity to share what they already know about the topic being studied, and ask questions that they hope to have answered by the end of their learning.

To ensure that pupils develop a secure knowledge that they can build on, our Geography curriculum is organised into a progression model that outlines the skills that need to be taught across year groups. Geographical language, enquiry, locational and place knowledge, fieldwork and map/atlas work are all mapped out to ensure that children build on secure prior knowledge.

Cross curricular links are made where possible with other subjects such as Maths, Writing, Computing and Catholic Social Teaching. The EYFS curriculum supports children’s understanding of geography, people and communities through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World’, with a particular focus on people culture and communities and the natural world.

Local area units provide the opportunities for children to go out into the field to conduct observations, surveys, investigations and field sketches. The use of maps and compasses enhance this experience.

After each unit of Geography completed in Years 1-6, assessment will be carried out stating whether children have demonstrated that they are working towards the expected level, at the expected level or greater depth. Within EYFS assessments will identify whether the children are on track or not on track. The impact of this curriculum design will lead to outstanding progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave St Augustine’s reaching at least age-related expectations for Geography. As children progress throughout the school, they will develop a knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context. Our Geography curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic geographers, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice and their work.