Subjects

Intent

In Geography at OBPS, we intend to inspire children with a curiosity and fascination about the world and the people who inhabit it. Children will gain 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. Children will take part in enquiry based investigations which focus on very specific locations and issues to help them to draw broader parallels and comparisons. We intend to develop children’s competency in the geographical skills through the use of fieldwork, maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

OBPS has chosen to use Connected Geography as its carefully designed and resourced scheme provides teachers with a coherent, progressive, and rigorous learning programme for all children across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  The progression of lessons engages and motivates children to see the world through the eyes of young geographers.   

Aims of Geography at OBPS:

• Inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
• Equip children 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.
• Understand geography as being about both locations and how people interact with those locations.
• Start with local Old Buckenham contexts and studies and expand out as children progress through school .
• Develop a growing knowledge about the world to deepen their understanding of the processes that give rise to the key physical and human geographical features of the world.
• Enable children to learn and explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.
• provide children with opportunities to learn about people, places and ways of life beyond Old Buckenham.
• Develop children's knowledge of the location of places of global significance, their defining physical and human characteristics and how they relate to one another.
• Builds upon the provision for geography established in the Early Years Foundation Stage - learning in KS1 and beyond addresses the knowledge and skills expectations of the People, Culture and Communities Early Learning Goal.
• Inclusive – ensuring that the curriculum is adapted and tailored to the specific learning needs of children and cohorts, differentiating where necessary through, for example, in class support, providing different learning environments, alternative learning activities and assessment outcomes. 
• Develop the geographical skills to collect, analyse and communicate with data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes. 
• Develop the geographical skills to interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, photographs, globes and aerial photographs. 
• Develop the geographical skills to communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, drawings, discussion and writing at length.

Implementation

Using Connected Geography, teachers adopt an enquiry focused approach to learning and teaching in geography which develops children at OBPS as young geographers. Through enquiry, children build subject knowledge and understanding and become increasingly adept at critical thinking, specialised vocabulary, and their grasp of subject concepts. Teachers structure learning in geography through question led enquiries about relevant geographical topics, places, and themes which give big concepts a specific context. OBPS's curriculum is ‘knowledge rich’ rather than content heavy.  By not attempting to teach geographical topics in their entirety OBPS gives greater opportunities for children to master concepts and apply critical thinking skills. Teachers have collaborated to refine and narrow down some questions and vocabulary to ensure that what is taught is relevant and specific.

OBPS ensures that all learning is immersive and allows time and space to acquire new knowledge and subject vocabulary but also to develop subject concepts and understand the significance of what they have learned. 

Teachers ensure that learning and teaching in geography is interactive and practical allowing opportunities for children to work independently, in pairs and in groups both inside and outside of the classroom. Activities are varied including the use of mysteries,maps at different scales, GIS, geographical puzzles, photographs, and drama. Similarly, children are given opportunities to record work in a variety of ways, such as PowerPoint, concept mapping, annotated diagrams, improvised drama, and the application in a wide range of writing genres in English lessons. OBPS recognises the importance of fieldwork. Teachers plan for investigations involving observation, recording, presentation, interpretation, and the evaluation of geographical information gathered outside of the classroom.   

The Connected Geography scheme of work identifies and highlights both the objectives and anticipated outcomes of each enquiry and investigation. They are also carefully structured using ancillary questions, to enable children to build their knowledge and understanding in incremental steps until they reach the point where they can answer the question posed at the beginning of the investigation. 

Impact

Each enquiry has a clear set objectives and outcomes for the children in terms of knowledge and understanding and skills acquisition. OBPS ensure that when assessing children, evidence is drawn from a wide range of sources to inform the process including discussions and related questioning, day to day observations, practical activities such as model making and role play, the gathering, presentation, and communication of fieldwork data and writing in different genres. 

The outcomes of each enquiry inform the teacher’s developing picture of the knowledge and understanding of each child and to plan future learning accordingly. Teachers do not make summative judgements about individual pieces of work but rather use the outcomes to build an emerging picture of what the child knows, understands, and can do.   

At the end of each academic year, teachers will make a summative judgement about the achievement of each pupil. They will use the OBPS Geography Coverage and Progression Document, which aligns the objectives set in the National Curriculum with Connected Geography’s objectives, to make a ‘best fit’ judgement as to whether a pupil has achieved and embedded the expected learning goals. This decision draws upon the professional knowledge teachers possess about the progress of each child, developed over the previous three terms, and allows an informed and holistic judgement of attainment to be made. Achievement against the learning goals for geography at the end of the year is used as the basis of reporting progress to parents.