Intent
From the moment we are born it is our instinct to explore the world around us.
At Lydgate, we believe that it is important to nurture and encourage that natural curiosity, to shape and direct it to positively influence our pupils. We want to develop inquisitive questioning learners who look closely at the world around them and begin to be able to interpret what they observe. As a whole school we believe that it is important that our children acquire knowledge and understanding about the world both physical and human so that they can take an active part in contributing to and protecting this world as they grow up. We also strive to instil in the children a sense of environmental responsibility and encourage them to understand environmental issues at a local and global level.
We aim to provide a high quality geography education which will inspire our pupils for the rest of their lives. Teaching will equip pupils with a knowledge about diverse people and places. As pupils progress, they develop their knowledge of the world and understand the connections between physical and human geography.
We teach them key disciplinary knowledge in order to support this.
We follow the National Curriculum for Geography establishing cross-curricular links where appropriate.
Geography is taught regularly throughout the school, beginning in Reception, and these lessons build up their knowledge of people and places. Through these lessons, the children are able to learn about the UK and the wider world and develop the skills needed to think like geographers.
Reception
In Reception, geography is covered under the area of learning Understanding the World which includes learning about the Past and Present; People, Communities and Cultures and The Natural World. Lydgate pupils are guided to make sense of their physical world and their community. A range of personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them - from visiting the local library and local area to meeting important members of society such as police officers and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster pupils understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that will support understanding in Key Stage 1. The Lydgate Reception Long term plan ensures that geography skills outlined in the Early Learning Goals document (ELGs) are revisited many times over the year and is specifically tailored towards the interests of our school’s children.
Reception - Understanding the World
Geography is taught in a two year cycle in KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2.
Key Stage 1 - In Key stage 1, pupils build on their learning that took place in Reception and continue to develop their understanding about the world. They begin to use geographical skills including first hand observation to help them develop their knowledge and vocabulary. They learn about the 4 countries of the UK, compare places very different to Batley (for e.g. Tokyo, Sydney) and learn about different human (for e.g. port, landmarks in London) and physical features (for e.g. mountains, coast, oceans).
Key stage 2 - Geography knowledge and skills taught in key stage 1 provide the building blocks for the curriculum in Key Stage 2. Through the LKS2 units on Rivers, Volcanoes and Earthquakes and UKS2 units on Mountains and Biomes children learn about the natural world building on the physical features from KS1. They continue to contrast regions including Yorkshire and Tuscany in LKS2 and London and New York in UKS2. They also study about settlements over time (Batley Past and Present) and the creation of the British Empire.
Through school, children develop their map and fieldwork skills.
We organise visits to enrich the curriculum. For e.g. a visit to Filey when learning about coasts.
Implementation
Humanities is timetabled weekly and geography is taught three half terms a year by the class teacher. In every lesson, the sequence of lessons is established, prior knowledge recapped and key vocabulary shared. The key knowledge and skills for the lessons are identified in the planning and progression established.
The geography units are well resourced and these are regularly audited including maps and globes through school.
Assembly - We use whole school assembly opportunities to discuss geography related topics including information on countries, natural disasters and people who lead different lives around the world. A world map has a pride of place in the assembly hall and is regularly referred to when discussing places and events.
Monitoring - Every year, the subject lead conducts a work scrutiny to ensure parity and progression. Regular pupil interviews are conducted to evaluate learning against intent. The subject lead also observes a sample of lessons through school. Through the monitoring process, next steps are identified and shared in staff meetings. Examples of work across school are collected by the subject lead in order to support with modelling and have evidence to show progression.
Impact
At the end of every unit, staff assess the children for the unit covered and the data updated every half term onto a tracker. This is accessible to all staff including the Subject Lead. In KS1, assessment of the unit is done in groups while in KS2, end of unit quizzes are administered and learning assessed. Quizzes for SEND children are appropriately differentiated.
Lessons show a clear progression of skills and knowledge as laid out in the progression document.
Pupil interviews show that the children are able to remember their learning and use subject specific vocabulary. Pupils are usually picked by the subject lead based on the assessment tracker.
Lesson observations show that staff are confident in delivering the curriculum and next steps actioned.
Community Work
We have achieved Platinum award for ModeShift Stars, a road safety certification from Kirklees that promotes Active Travel and combat pollution. The school council have been engaged in promoting this with children and parents.