Geography

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Curriculum Intent

At Usworth Colliery we want to inspire our children and prepare them for life with practical skills such as map reading, identifying features on aerial photographs and digital mapping. Most of all we want our children to enjoy and love learning about geography both inside and outside the classroom to broaden their horizons, develop their geographical skills and be challenged and inspired. Our intent is that pupils recognise geography as a subject packed with excitement and challenges, which is relevant to our local and worldwide environments. It enables us to better understand our world’s people, places and environments - interactions between them and why some are changing. Ensuring children are aware of their place in the world, both locationally and socially is a driving force for the subject. They should also build a strong knowledge of the world around them, locally and internationally, giving them an understanding of difference and potentially the motivation to visit and explore their environment. We aim to create ambitious and resilient learners who are also socially-aware that they can be the drivers for positive geographical and environmental change. Geography will encompass the National Curriculum and is designed to create deep knowledge, strong basic skills and provoke a thirst for knowledge.

Geography in the Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Geography forms part of the learning that pupils acquire under the ‘Understanding the World’ branch of the Foundation Stage curriculum – which also covers Science, History, Design and Technology and ICT.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage pupils are given the opportunity to first explore the local world around them and develop an awareness of their own surroundings. Studies of the school grounds and local area give pupils a perspective of ‘near’ geography. Pupils look at aerial views and have the opportunity to draw simple maps of their own environment or imaginary story settings they are familiar with. This helps them to appreciate distances between their immediate locality and overseas places. Links to countries encountered through other subjects enable pupils to draw on and consolidate their learning about the geography of the wider world. Pupils are encouraged to record their experiences through drawing, writing and model making. They are also encouraged to discuss and evaluate their ideas with others using rich and varied vocabulary whilst doing so. Learning is enhanced through visiting parks, libraries and museums and meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters.