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Geography

 

Intent 

At Alkerden, we believe Geography helps learners understand their place in the world locally, nationally and globally. Our Geography curriculum aims to: 

  • Spark curiosity and fascination about the natural world, different places, environments and cultures. 

  • Help learners develop knowledge of where places are and what they are like , through locational and place knowledge, physical geography (land, water, climate, natural features) and human geography (how people live, use land, and shape environments). 

  • Teach the processes and forces that shape our planet: physical processes (like climate, water cycle, rivers, mountains, weather) and human processes (settlement, land use, trade, culture, resources) and how these interact. 

  • Build geographical skills: map work, spatial awareness, using atlases/globes, fieldwork and observation, data collection, interpreting diagrams/photographs/maps, and communicating geographical information in different ways. 

  • Foster understanding and respect for diversity, different landscapes, environments, ways of life and encourage a sense of global citizenship, responsibility for the planet, and empathy for others. 

  • Provide opportunities to explore, question and investigate, encouraging enquiry, discussion, reflection, and a sense of wonder about our world. 

Through this curriculum we aim to shape learners who are not only knowledgeable, but thoughtful, responsible and globally aware. 

 

Implementation 

 

  • Geography is taught across all year groups from Early Years through to Year 6. The curriculum is planned progressively so knowledge and skills build each year. 

  • Teaching is inclusive and adaptive: tasks are differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. Those needing more support receive scaffolding tasks; more able learners are challenged with deeper enquiry, extended tasks or more complex studies of place, processes and change. 

  • Cross-curricular links are used to enrich geography learning: in science (ecosystems, environment, climate), history (how human activity shapes places over time), art (depicting landscapes, cultures), and global awareness themes (culture, resources, environment). 

  • Fieldwork and first-hand investigations are embedded where possible: learners observe and record physical and human features of their local area, carry out simple environmental or geographical studies, collect data, make observations and draw conclusions. 

  • Learners use a variety of geographical resources and tools: maps, atlases, globes, aerial photographs, digital mapping (where available), diagrams and data sets. They are taught how to interpret these, how to use compass directions, map symbols and keys, grid references, and to draw simple maps. 

  • As learners progress, topics widen: they explore their locality, then the United Kingdom, Europe, and further afield, learning about continents, countries, oceans, climates, ecosystems, human settlements, land use, and cultural diversity. The curriculum reflects both human and physical geography and explores both local and global scales. 

  • From the earliest stages, learners are encouraged to observe their immediate environment, talk about where they live, explore their local area, notice physical and human features and begin to ask geographical questions. This lays foundations for future learning. 

Impact 

By the time learners leave Alkerden our geography curriculum will ensure they: 

  • Have secure locational and place knowledge, including a broad understanding of local, national and global geography. 

  • Understand key physical and human processes shaping places, environments and communities, and the interconnections between people and the planet. 

  • Are confident in geographical skills: using maps, atlases, globes, digital maps, interpreting data, conducting simple fieldwork, observing and describing environments, and communicating findings in various forms. 

  • Appreciate cultural, environmental and global diversity and develop respect for different places, peoples and ways of life. 

  • Think critically about the world: aware of global issues such as the environment, resources, sustainability, human impact, and able to form informed opinions about them. 

  • View themselves as global citizens with knowledge, empathy and responsibility, capable of understanding and navigating a complex, interconnected world. 

  • Are prepared for the next stage of their education: ready to build on geographical knowledge and skills, and able to engage with geography in secondary school and beyond with confidence. 

The impact of our Geography curriculum will be seen in learners who ask thoughtful questions about their world, enjoy exploring maps and data, reflect on human and environmental issues, respect diversity and difference, and carry a sense of curiosity, responsibility and global awareness through life. 

 

Geography Across the Stages 

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 

Learners begin by exploring their immediate surroundings, understanding their home, school and local area. Early geography involves observing plants, weather, seasons, land, water, comparing local environment with different places through stories, images and discussion. Through play, exploration and talk, learners build spatial awareness and begin to use simple geographical vocabulary. 

Key Stage 1 (Years 1-2) 

Learners build foundational geographical understanding: they learn about their local area and community; begin to use maps, globes or simple atlases; recognise and name continents, oceans, countries; learn about physical features (land, water, weather, seasons) and human features (settlements, transport, land use); and start to understand similarities and differences between their locality and contrasting nonEuropean or global places. They engage in simple observational fieldwork, exploring their school grounds or local area to identify human and physical features. 

Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) 

Learners broaden their studies: exploring United Kingdom regions, parts of Europe, and more distant places including continents beyond Europe. They study a variety of physical geography, climate zones, rivers, mountains, biomes, ecosystems, landforms and human geography settlements, trade, resources, land use, environmental change, culture and population. Learners use maps (including more advanced map skills), atlas/globe work, digital and paper mapping, grid references, compass directions, and interpret a variety of geographical data sources. Fieldwork and enquirybased learning deepen their understanding of how humans and environment interact. They reflect on sustainability, global interdependence, and how geography affects lives and communities. 

Inclusion & Support 

At Alkerden we recognise that every learner is unique. To support this, we: 

  • Adapt tasks, provide scaffolding and use multiple forms of representation (visual, verbal, practical, databased) so geography is accessible to all learners. 

  • Offer challenge and enrichment for those with a strong interest in geography through extended projects, deeper enquiry, creative tasks, global research, and opportunities for fieldwork. 

  • Use local surroundings as a resource, our locality becomes a living classroom, enabling learners to explore, observe and understand real-world geography. 

  • Encourage use of digital mapping and resources where possible, to support learners in developing modern geographical skills and understanding global connectivity. 

Extra Resources

 

Fun Geography Games