Intent and the School Vision

The geography curriculum at The Vine is knowledge rich. This means the knowledge children will learn has been carefully specified, ordered coherently and builds over time. As children work through our geography curriculum they will know and understand more about the world around them. A good geographical understanding relies on firm foundations of knowledge and skills. The skills our curriculum develops are also specified, ordered coherently and progress over time. This curriculum structure helps pupils to deepen their understanding of physical and human geographical processes, fostering curiosity and fascination for the world we live in. Pupils learn tolerance and understanding of other people and environments showing love of one another, love of mankind and love of life itself. By the time pupils leave at the end of year 6, they will have a good understanding of the local area, UK and the wider world; having made meaningful connections and allowed them to gain an understanding of how our world is connected.

Implementation

At the Vine, pupils will learn about key geographical concepts such as place, space, the environment and interconnection. Over time, working through an essential process of elaboration, children will add to their conceptual understanding with many examples of geographical knowledge in context. Children will become more skilled at answering questions such as; ‘What is it like to live in this place?’ ‘What are the challenges of this environment?’ and ‘How have people changed this landscape over time?’ The knowledge the children will learn is broken down into locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and fieldwork.

Location knowledge 

​​​​​​​Pupils learn about the local area and beyond, including the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa and South America.  Pupils find out about the human and physical characteristics of the world; and how some of these aspects have changed over time. Pupils identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones.

Place knowledge

Pupils will learn about the continents of the world, the countries, towns and cities of the areas and regions they are studying. They will also discover where physical features such as mountains, rivers and volcanoes are located in the world. The pupils will learn how to use maps and atlases to locate places and features as well.

Human and physical geography
Pupils learn about key physical characteristics, including: climate zones, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and biomes, as well as human characteristics, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.

Geographical skills and fieldwork
Pupils use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features. They will be able to use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key to understand and create maps.  Pupils use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local areas using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies. 

British Values, SMSC and Global Links

Geography encourages mutual respect and tolerance of others as pupils develop an understanding and respect for different cultures through our studies of place and people. It also encourages individual liberty as pupils are given the opportunity to explore issues in the world, e.g. drought and flooding. Through geography, pupils are also encouraged to engage in active local and global citizenship where they consider the impact they have on the physical environment and the humans they interact with, and reflect on whether they need to make changes to this to be a positive global citizen and courageous advocate. Pupils are empowered to challenge themselves and take risks in a safe environment, developing their resilience through learning inside and outside of the classroom. Geography at The Vine aims to celebrate the wonderful diversity we have within the school community, encouraging children to celebrate difference and be accepting of all. Not only is the Vine community itself fantastically diverse, but we also have many international links with schools and partners internationally (e.g. Kenya) where pupils get chances to communicate and share cultural traditions.