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At Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we believe that Geography helps children to understand the world they live in, their place within it and how it is changing.
Geography is an investigative subject that encourages children to ask questions, explore places, make connections and develop an understanding of the physical and human processes that shape our world. We want our children to develop a genuine curiosity about people, places and environments and to become confident geographers who can interpret and make sense of the world around them.
Our Geography curriculum is designed to be inclusive and ambitious for every child. It provides a broad and balanced programme of learning that meets the requirements of the National Curriculum while developing geographical knowledge, vocabulary, skills and fieldwork progressively.
We make the most of our location in North Yorkshire, using our local area as a starting point for geographical enquiry. Children develop an understanding of their own locality before making comparisons with other parts of the United Kingdom and the wider world.
Our Geography curriculum aims to develop children who:
We want children to recognise that Geography is not simply about knowing where places are, but about understanding why places are the way they are, how they are connected and how they change.
We use the Kapow Primary Geography scheme of learning to support the planning and delivery of our Geography curriculum. Kapow provides a clear progression of geographical knowledge and skills and ensures that children encounter a broad range of geographical concepts and contexts.
The scheme provides the structure for our curriculum while allowing teachers to adapt and enrich learning to reflect our North Yorkshire setting, our children and our local environment.
Geography is taught in blocks across the year, allowing children to develop their knowledge and skills in depth. Our two-year rolling programme has been carefully mapped to ensure that knowledge and skills build progressively as children move through the school.
Developing Geographical Knowledge
Children develop knowledge of:
Children regularly revisit previously taught knowledge through questioning, retrieval activities and discussion. This helps them to remember more and make connections between different areas of geographical learning.
Geography in North Yorkshire
Our local area provides a rich context for geographical learning.
Children have opportunities to explore and investigate Sheriff Hutton, the surrounding villages and the wider North Yorkshire landscape. They develop an understanding of the characteristics of our local area and use it as a basis for comparing places elsewhere in the United Kingdom and the world.
Our location provides opportunities to explore a range of geographical features, including:
Where appropriate, children use local maps, photographs, fieldwork and first-hand observations to investigate geographical questions. This enables children to understand that Geography is something they can see, experience and investigate around them, rather than simply something they learn from a textbook.
Fieldwork and Learning Beyond the Classroom
Fieldwork is an important part of our Geography curriculum. Children are given opportunities to collect information, make observations, use maps, take measurements and interpret geographical data.
We make use of our school grounds, local area and wider North Yorkshire to provide meaningful first-hand experiences. Trips and visits are carefully selected to enhance children’s understanding and give them opportunities to apply their geographical knowledge and skills in real contexts.
Our Year 6 residential visit to Bewerley Park provides an important opportunity for children to develop geographical and fieldwork skills through first-hand experiences in a different environment. It enables them to apply their knowledge, navigate unfamiliar surroundings, investigate landscapes and develop their understanding of the relationship between people and the natural environment.
Geography in the Early Years
Our Geography curriculum begins in the Early Years through the Understanding the World area of learning.
Children develop curiosity about the natural and human world around them. They explore their immediate environment through walks, local visits, outdoor learning and first-hand experiences.
Through carefully chosen stories, photographs and conversations, children begin to recognise that people live in different places and that places and environments can be similar and different. They develop vocabulary to describe what they see and begin to notice changes in their surroundings.
These early experiences provide the foundations for children to become confident geographers as they progress through the school.
Geographical Skills
Alongside developing geographical knowledge, children progressively develop the skills needed to investigate and communicate geographical information.
They learn to:
By the time children leave Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we want them to have developed a secure understanding of the world and their place within it.
Our children will:
Most importantly, we want our children to leave primary school with a curiosity about the world and the confidence to explore it.
We want them to look at the landscape around them, question why it is the way it is, understand how it is changing and recognise that they have an important role to play in caring for their local environment and the wider world.
Assessment is an integral part of our Geography teaching. Teachers assess children’s knowledge and understanding through questioning, discussion, observation, written work, practical activities, fieldwork and other forms of assessment.
Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of units and key knowledge is revisited throughout learning. At the end of a unit, teachers review children’s understanding and identify any areas that require further teaching or consolidation.
Children’s progress is assessed against the knowledge and skills identified within our Geography curriculum, ensuring that they progressively develop the knowledge and geographical thinking expected across the primary phase.
We believe that every child can be a geographer. Our Geography curriculum is designed to be accessible and ambitious for all children, including those with SEND and other additional needs.
Teachers use appropriate scaffolding, visual resources, practical experiences, adapted resources and targeted support to ensure that children can access geographical learning and develop the essential knowledge and skills.
We also recognise the importance of equality and diversity within Geography. Children learn about people and places from a wide range of cultures, backgrounds and communities. We challenge stereotypes and encourage children to appreciate different ways of life and understand that people’s experiences of places can be very different.
Through Geography, children develop respect for others and an understanding of their responsibilities towards people, places and the environment. We want every child to see themselves as someone who can explore, question and understand the world.