Intent

At Butler’s Hill we aim to make our children aware of our planet and what and how they can do things to protect it. Geography is taught through a topic based approach.  We offer structured and sequenced lessons to help teachers ensure they have covered the skills required to meet the aims of the national curriculum. The content allows for a broader, deeper understanding of the four areas of geography identified in the curriculum. It will develop knowledge of the location of globally significant places and understanding of the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world. We intend to develop children’s curiosity and a fascination of the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The topics offer a range of opportunities for investigating places around the world as well as physical and human processes. We use visits to offer opportunities to use map reading skills, orienteering and to see Human and Physical features in real life situations. The lessons are intended to improve children’s geographical vocabulary, map skills and geographical facts and provide opportunities for consolidation, challenge and variety to ensure interest and progress in the subject.

Implementation

In KS1, children begin to use maps and recognise physical and human features to do with the local area, building to using maps to explore the continents and oceans of the world in year 2. Further, in year 2, children will begin to compare where they live to places outside of Europe and ask and answer geographical questions. All children expand on their skills in local knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, geographical skills and fieldwork. The children have a range of opportunities to experience geography through practical engaging tasks beyond the classroom. Our lessons come with end of unit assessments to give the teacher and adults leading geography confidence in the progression of skills and knowledge and that outcomes have been met. Specific words are taught and used by children to deepen their geographical knowledge.

Impact

Through high standards of teaching at Butler’s Hill Infants, we will implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. In Key Stage One, a unit of Geography or History will be taught alternately each half term, focusing on the knowledge and skills set out in the National Curriculum.  We believe that the impact of Geography lessons will be that that all children will use geographical vocabulary accurately and understand the different strands of geography, with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Children will begin to make relevant links from geography to other curriculum subjects, such as history and science. They will improve their enquiry skills and inquisitiveness about the world around them, and their impact on the world. All children will realise that they have choices to make in the world, developing a positive commitment to the environment and the future of the planet. They will be able to interpret a range of sources of geographical information and they will communicate geographical information in a variety of ways. All children in the school will be able to speak confidently about their geography learning, skills and knowledge.