A welcoming community, growing and learning together.

Intent 

For Geography at our school to inspire pupils with a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.  

Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.  

Our Geography curriculum capitalises on our local area of Acton, then the locality of London, allowing children to learn more about the area around the school, our city, the UK and the wider world.  The curriculum encourages exploration of issues that affect the world today and into the future. 

Through our Geography curriculum, children will gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain and that of the wider world through studying how humans have shaped the world and the physical forces and process acting on our planet. They will learn to make connections, to identify patterns, to embed key concepts and vocabulary as well as exploring some aspects in more depth. 

• Increase and develop their geographical skills, concepts, knowledge and attitudes. 


• Increase their understanding of location and place; to explore physical and human geography and develop their fieldwork and mapping skills. 


• Develop and use their skills in enquiry, data collection, analysis and evaluation. 


• Develop a sense of identity through learning about places and people around the world. 

Implementation 

Children in Year 1-6 learn Geography though a carefully planned curriculum with topics exploring diverse aspects of our planet and its people. Topics are chosen because they build cultural capital, prepare them for the world of the future, excite and enthuse them. We explore the richness of our local area too, including transport and rivers. 

Units are taught over a half-term with once-weekly lessons 

Our use of recall grids ensures that children build on their prior learning, embed key ideas and vocabulary  so that they learn more, know more and remember more. 

Impact 

‘Leaders’ work to improve history, geography ….plans has been positive. These are ambitious and identify what pupils should learn.’ Ofsted January 2020 

We know our children are learning and making progress in Geography when: 

• The curriculum is implemented effectively 


• Learning in their books is purposeful, varied, clear and of a high quality 


• They can demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts e.g. patterns in the way people migrate and settle or why a particular climate exists in one area. 


• They know and can use relevant vocabulary. 


• They are interested in the world across time and place. 

Our monitoring of the Geography curriculum shows that children have a rich diet, learning about their local area, the city of London and then moving on to learn about places in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Children are learning more Geography vocabulary linked to their units. Monitoring showed that the activities children completed in their books were varied from work on mapping to recording findings from surveys of their local area to diagrams of physical features such as volcanoes and rivers. 

Pupil voice meetings with children demonstrated how much they enjoyed workshops they participated as part of their learning in Geography. These sessions helped the subjects to come alive; workshop leaders commented positively on the engagement levels of the children. 

Cultural Capital 

• Through their learning in Geography, our children will develop the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.  


• They will gain essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to an understanding of how the places in the world developed and how to look after it in the future. 


• Our curriculum will support children in thinking like geographers – interested in our natural environment and how people use it. 

• The Geography curriculum allows children to learn through drama, investigation & enquiry, providing pupils with the confidence to explore different aspects of the world and take this curiosity with them onto their next stage of education and into adulthood. 

Home Learning 

At West Acton, we share the children’s learning in Geography through the termly curriculum webs for each year group. For each new topic, teachers prepare a bespoke knowledge organiser with key learning, vocabulary and illustrations. A copy of this is sent home with the children for you to share in what they are studying each half-term. Lots of information about the curriculum can also be found on Espresso, an online learning tool that we provide. 

Local Area Acton
Our journey to school (Espresso)
Places we like to visit (Espresso)
People in our local area (Espresso)
Local Area Study (Purple Mash)

London and UK
Interactive Map (Espresso)
All About London (Purple Mash)
London Attractions (Purple Mash)
Let's Explore the UK (BBC Bitesize)

Going Places
Journey to the Coast (Espresso)
Coasts (Purple Mash)

Seasons
Seasons (Espresso)
Seasons (Purple Mash)
Weather (Purple Mash)
Whatever the weather (Espresso)

World Wonders
Compass (Purple Mash)
France fact file (Purple Mash)
Mountains (Purple Mash)
Oceans (Purple Mash)
Physical Features (Purple Mash)
Rivers (Purple Mash)
UK Countries (Purple Mash)
World Continents (Purple Mash)
World Oceans (Purple Mash)

Passport to the World (China)
Map of China (Espresso)
Visit China (Espresso)
What is China like? (Espresso)

Food
Food and Farming (Espresso)
Where food comes from (BBC Bitesize)

Climate and Weather
Weather and Climate (BBC Bitesize)
Weather (Purple Mash)

Local Area, Waterways, Canals and Coasts
Water (Espresso)
Investigating Coasts (Espresso)
Coasts (Purple Mash)
Water (Purple Mash)

Americas
Let's Explore Florida (BBC Bitesize)
USA Fact File (Purple Mash)

Extreme Weather: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Interactive Natural Disasters Map (Espresso)
Volcanoes (BBC Bitesize)
Earthquakes (BBC Bitesize)
Volcanoes (Purple Mash)
Earthquakes (Purple Mash)

Changes in our Local Environment
Going Green (Espresso)
Sustainability (Espresso)
Sustainability and Plastics (BBC Bitesize)
Natural Resources (BBC Bitesize)
The Environment (Purple Mash)

Food and Famine
Famine in Ethiopia (Espresso)
The Great Famine (Purple Mash)

Journeys and Migration
Harvest and Food (Espresso)
Sustainability (Espresso)
Fair Trade (Purple Mash)
The Environment (Purple Mash)
Trade (BBC Bitesize)
Economic Activity (BBC Bitesize)

Rivers and Water Cycle - Thames & Amazon
Rivers (Espresso)
Rivers (Purple Mash)
Rivers (BBC Bitesize)

Global Warming & Climate change: Protecting the Environment
Going Green (Espresso)
Sustainability (Espresso)
Sustainability and Plastics (BBC Bitesize)
Natural Resources (BBC Bitesize)
The Environment (Purple Mash)

Our World in the Future
Going Green (Espresso)
Sustainability (Espresso)
Sustainability and Plastics (BBC Bitesize)
Natural Resources (BBC Bitesize)
The Environment (Purple Mash)

Journeys: Where does our stuff come from?
Harvest and Food (Espresso)
Sustainability (Espresso)
Fair Trade (Purple Mash)
The Environment (Purple Mash)
Trade (BBC Bitesize)
Economic Activity (BBC Bitesize)