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

Intent

At Cedar Park School and Nursery, our geography curriculum aims to inspire pupils to become analytical and inquisitive thinkers who cumulatively develop an expansive understanding of their world. Building curiosity and deeper thinking is at the core of our approach and we aim to equip pupils with the skills to think like geographers and the knowledge to foster a deep curiosity about the world. Our lessons encourage deep and diverse thinking, ensuring pupils can build knowledge free from stereotypes and be informed by diverse physical, environmental, and cultural perspectives.

Implementation

Geography at Cedar Park School and Nursery is supported by the Developing Experts scheme of work. Our geography curriculum organises knowledge into the four key strands outlined in the National Curriculum: locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and fieldwork. Every lesson begins with an enquiry-based discussion. This allows teachers to assess prior knowledge while allowing pupils to share their experiences. At the end of each lesson, the pupils will be able to answer the question posed at the start. This cyclical structure allows for flexibility and reinforces prior learning.

Our curriculum is implemented in a way which allows for children to constantly revisit the concepts of place, space and scale in many different contexts. Teachers ensure that lessons have a balance of core knowledge and the children’s sense of space. Children have the opportunity to evidence their learning in a variety of ways including verbal, written, pictorial and diagrammatic responses. In order to ensure long-term knowledge, we revisit learning from both previous lessons and year groups.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, activities and experiences for pupils are based on the areas of learning and development, as outlined in the DfE’s ‘Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’. All activities adhere to the objectives set out in this framework. In particular, geography-based activities are used to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the ‘People Culture and Communities’ and ‘The Natural World.’

In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, geography is taught through timetabled specific lessons on a half termly basis, alternating with history, with cross-subject links and references to help students embed holistic knowledge. We use a variety of learning experiences in the classroom, expanding this through our fieldwork and raising engagement further with educational visits which allow the children to develop their geographical knowledge and skills. Children are given opportunities to explore, observe, question and compare how individuals, including themselves, live around the world and the impact of this. 

At Cedar Park, we are passionate in providing a learning environment where a rich and varied use of language develops understanding, broadens vocabulary and expands children’s ability to communicate effectively with others. As a result, children regularly study geographical terms and are encouraged to use as many of these as possible when sharing understanding with their group or class as a whole. Discussion is very much encouraged in our geography lessons, whether in pairs, groups or as a class, and we encourage children to articulate their thinking in detail.

Impact

At Cedar Park School, we believe the impact of our geography teaching provides cultural capital for our children to become educated citizens of the world. We empower our children to be decision makers and global citizens who constantly consider their (and others’) impact on the planet.

Our geography curriculum champions curiosity. We want pupils to leave every lesson with the desire to learn more about each topic. Our curriculum encourages pupils to explore their own interests and dig deeper into the knowledge that has stood out to them. With this in mind, instead of providing separate end-of-unit assessments, the sixth lesson in every unit functions as an open-ended assessment of pupils’ knowledge and skills. We have embedded our assessments in this way so that pupils can fully express their depth of knowledge. Teachers can use their pupils’ work to assess skills, understanding, gaps in learning and misconceptions.

What does Geography look like at Cedar Park?

Geography at Cedar Park begins with a High 5 in which children review the ideas and knowledge mastered in previous units, ready for their development within the new context. This ensures children’s knowledge is both transferred into long-term memory and fresh in their minds as we look to deepen their understanding. While lessons are planned to ensure clear progression, Geography lessons are responsive and adaptable, with clear progression in steps between lessons that is driven from the children’s learning and questions around the topic.

At Cedar Park, we are passionate in providing a learning environment where a rich and varied use of language develops understanding, broadens vocabulary and expands children’s ability to communicate effectively with others. As a result, children regularly study geographical terms and are encouraged to use as many of these as possible when sharing understanding with their group or class as a whole. Discussion is very much encouraged in our Geography lessons, whether in pairs, groups or as a class, and we encourage children to articulate their thinking in detail.

We use written work, images, maps, primary and secondary sources of evidence, as well as a whole range of other techniques and resources to engage our children’s interest and expand understanding, while addressing any misconceptions that arise.

Useful Documents & Links