What is Geography?

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 in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.

[Ofsted research review series: Geography, Barak Obama, May 2021]

The teaching of the geography curriculum at Little Sutton Primary is designed to enable all children regardless of background, need or ability, to have a uniquely powerful way of seeing the world and its people. The curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive and transferable.  It aims to inspire children with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Geography teaches the children of Little Sutton Primary to have a deeper understanding of people, places and environments across the world as well as developing their sense of place within it. Using an enquiry based approach to the curriculum, helps to develop children's skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. These key aspects are also transferable to other curriculum areas which can, and are, used to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

At Little Sutton Primary school, Geography is taught discretely in each year group every term. This enables the children to think as geographers as they investigate a key question in depth. The Early Learning Goals are used in Reception, with the National Curriculum beginning in Year One. A sequence of lessons is carefully planned, identifying what has been taught before and what the end intention is for both the unit plan and their key stage. We place a strong emphasis on building on prior learning, by revisiting key facts at the start of each lesson. This ensures children develop their skills of locational and place knowledge; deepening their understanding of the human and physical features within these places and geographical and fieldwork skills needed to be a geographer, including graphicacy and spatial thinking.

What do we aim for our children?

By the end of Year 6 we aim for all our children to:

• Develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
• Understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent, bring about spatial variation and change over time.

Be competent in the geographical skills needed to:

• Collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
• Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

For further information regarding our Geography Curriculum and how it is taught please see the documents below.

Geography in YR

Reception recently enjoyed the sunshine on their walk to Harvest Fields as part of their geography work on playgrounds. They made their own ‘journey sticks’ to recount their journey. What super geographers they are!