Geography
Key Information
Geography
Geography Curriculum Statement
At Cranford Park Academy, we aim to deliver geography education that inspires curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. In our multicultural school, we seek to inspire children to become curious about and understand other people's cultures, beliefs and ways of life through a knowledge-based curriculum which seeks to deepen geographical understanding. We want to ensure the subject is a way to appreciate, protect and nurture our planet's diversity. Key to this is making sure we present multiple stories and to think carefully about how we present people, countries and culture through our teaching to challenge stereotypes, prejudice and racism. Running central to all geography is the understanding of how physical geography has shaped us.
As children progress through the school they will have a clearer understanding of the differences between human and physical geography and the links between them. Our curriculum ensures children develop a depth and breadth of knowledge, focusing on both new learning and retention. The lessons are progressive, meaning children are continuously building upon their understanding using their prior knowledge and making links to previous learning.
Geography begins in EYFS, with our children exploring hands-on learning with Forest School and The Understanding of the World strand of learning in Reception.
In Key Stage 1 and 2 we follow The Kapow Primary Geography scheme of work to ensure the children at Cranford Park explore a variety of geographic topics and begin to think critically about the world. Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world – in other words, to think like geographers. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, measure and record necessary data in a variety of ways and analyse and present their findings. In Key Stage 1 curriculum the children begin by familiarising themselves with the local area (allowing them to investigate Hayes) and comparing it to a different geographical location and then move on to looking at the wider world in Year 2, allowing them to develop an understanding about the world beyond their own experiences.
The National curriculum states that pupils should ‘develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge’, and so the units across Key stage 2 are sequenced to allow pupils to build on their understanding of geographical concepts and themes, such as settlement, trade, climate change and natural resources, and fieldwork skills. Additionally, as guided by the National curriculum, units are structured to reflect a regional approach to ensure children have experience learning about a location in each continent by the end of primary school. At Cranford Park Academy we also include practical work, fieldwork and trips/visits where applicable so that children can explore the local area and learn about it, how it has changed over time and their place in the context of the UK and wider world.
Whole school Geography overview
