Geography

At Yardley Primary School, we aim to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world; in other words, to think like a geographer. We want pupils to develop the confidence to question and observes places, measure and record necessary data in various ways, and analyse and present their findings. Through the Kapow scheme of work, we aim to build awareness of how Geography shapes our lives at multiple scales over time. We hope to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.

The Kapow scheme encourages:

• A strong focus on developing both geographical skills and knowledge.

• Critical thinking, with the ability to ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence.

• The development of fieldwork skills across each year group, with many opportunities to visit and explore the local area of Birmingham.

• A deep interest and knowledge of pupils’ locality and how it differs from other areas of the world.

• A growing understanding of geographical terms and vocabulary.

Through use of the Kapow scheme of work, pupils are supported in reaching the end of key stage attainment targets in the National Curriculum.

Our curriculum is delivered through carefully planned units from the Kapow Primary Scheme. To meet the aims of the National Curriculum for Geography and in response to the Ofsted Research review into Geography, we have identified the following key strands:

Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these four strands across each year group. Our ‘Geography curriculum overview document’ shows the skills taught within each year group and how these develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. 

The Kapow Primary scheme that we follow here at Yardley Primary School is a spiral curriculum, with essential knowledge and skills revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Locational knowledge (in particular) will be reviewed in each unit to coincide with our belief that this will consolidate children’s understanding of key concepts, such as scale and place, in Geography. Cross-curricular links are included throughout each unit, allowing children to make connections and apply their Geography skills to other areas of learning. 

Our enquiry questions form the basis for our units, meaning that pupils gain a solid understanding of geographical knowledge and skills by applying them to answer enquiry questions. 

We have designed these questions to be open-ended with no preconceived answers and therefore they are genuinely purposeful and engage pupils in generating a real change. In attempting to answer them, children learn how to collect, interpret, and present data using geographical methodologies and make informed decisions by applying their geographical knowledge. 

Fieldwork includes smaller opportunities on the school grounds to larger-scale visits to investigate physical and human features. Developing fieldwork skills within the school environment and revisiting them in multiple units enables pupils to consolidate their understanding of various methods. It also gives children the confidence to evaluate methodologies without always having to leave the school grounds and do so within the confines of a familiar place. This makes fieldwork regular and accessible while giving children a thorough understanding of their locality, providing a solid foundation when comparing it with other places. 

Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and group work, including practical hands-on, computer-based and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that all pupils can access learning, and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary. 

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Geography scheme of work is that children will: 

• Compare and contrast human and physical features to describe and understand similarities and differences between various places in the UK, Europe and the Americas. 

• Name, locate and understand where and why the physical elements of our world are located and how they interact, including processes over time relating to climate, biomes, natural disasters and the water cycle. 

• Understand how humans use the land for economic and trading purposes, including how the distribution of natural resources has shaped this. 

• Develop an appreciation for how humans are impacted by and have evolved around the physical geography surrounding them and how humans have had an impact on the environment, both positive and negative.

• Develop a sense of location and place around the UK and some areas of the wider world using the eight-points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and keys on maps, globes, atlases, aerial photographs and digital mapping. 

• Identify and understand how various elements of our globe create positioning, including latitude, longitude, the hemispheres, the tropics and how time zones work, including night and day. 

• Present and answer their own geographical enquiries using planned and specifically chosen methodologies, collected data and digital technologies. 

• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for Geography.

In EYFS, geography is taught through the specific area of learning and development; Understanding the World. This is delivered through exploration and child-initiated play.

To find out more about our early years curriculum, visit our E.Y.F.S. page here.

The Geography progression of skills and knowledge gives an overview of the skills and knowledge covered in each phase and strand and how these skills are developed in order to enable pupils to reach the end of key stage outcomes outlined in the National curriculum. Within each key stage, knowledge is often introduced at the start of the key stage so that there is time for that knowledge to be revisited and applied in later years which is why knowledge accumulation may look heavier in some year groups than others.

If you require any further information about this curriculum area or any other, please do not hesitate to contact us.