Geography
Cavendish Geography Curriculum Intent
At Horizon Academy Trust we believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it.
The Geography curriculum at Horizon enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas, and which can and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills.
All of our schools are fortunate to have a unique geographical location (River Humber, Holderness Coast, Green Port) and much of our curriculum is designed to help children gain a deep understanding of the city in which they live through Geographical inquiry.
The curriculum is designed to ensure that teaching equips 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. As pupils progress through the school, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
Geographical knowledge and skills are progressive and are sequenced to provide the framework and approaches that provide explanation of how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.
We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, equipping them well for further education and beyond.
Cavendish Geography Curriculum Implementation
Geography at Horizon is taught in termly units throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Teachers have identified the key knowledge and skills of each blocked topic and theses are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Existing knowledge is checked and reviewed at the beginning of each unit. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children’s starting points and that it takes account of pupil voice, incorporating children’s interests.
Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with each school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.
Cross curricular outcomes in Geography are specifically planned for and these are indicated on the knowledge organiser for each unit of work. Our local area is fully utilised so that children gain a detailed knowledge of their place within the world with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. A big emphasis is also placed on environmental issues and teaching educates children on how they can help to look after their planet.
Rationale for sequencing of knowledge and skills
The Geography curriculum at Horizon is sequenced so that children develop knowledge and skills across four main concepts: Location and Place, Human Geography, Physical Geography, and Geographical Skills. Units of learning have been chosen to build sequentially increasing knowledge of location and sense of place. For example, learning in EYFS and within KS1 includes securing a strong understanding of their local area, and then beyond this study it’s place within the UK and then the wider world.
In KS2 learning builds prior knowledge through the study of more complex geographical concepts such as ‘volcanoes and earthquakes’ and ‘erosion.’ Learning within KS2 also increases children’s knowledge of their geographical locality with units covering the ‘River Humber,’ ‘farming’ and ‘renewable energy.’ The importance of our location is paramount right from the Early Years and continues to underpin the sequencing across Key Stage 1 and 2. Children’s understanding of their own location is used to compare and contrast locations around the British Isles, Europe, and the rest of the World both from a physical and human geographical perspective
Geographical skills are applied and developed through all units of learning, often underpinned by the use of maps, atlases and globes. Fieldwork is also a feature in many of the geographical units taught ensuring children leave Horizon schools with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the next stages of their education.
Geography Documents:
Geography Curriculum Map Journey for Cavendish
Geography EYFS KS1 Foundational Knowledge