Our Geography Curriculum Offer

At Crowcombe & Stogumber C of E Primary Schools we strive to deliver a geography curriculum that encourages pupils’ curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. We help children develop a sense of place along with a range of investigative and problem-solving skills, both inside and outside the classroom.  We aim to equip them 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. . 

Our geography curriculum links to our school values of generosity, optimism, determination, curiosity and courage by inspiring our pupils to explore environmental issues, form their values as global citizens and understand their rights and responsibilities, within their locality and wider world. Learning Outside the Classroom is a vital facet of our curriculum and is embedded throughout year groups and subjects. For Geography to be taught effectively it is vital that aspects are experienced in context and in situ and so teaching across the school is enriched through the use of focused external visits. Forest school sessions on the school site as well as fieldwork trips within the local area ensure the children have the opportunity to put their geographical skills and locational knowledge into practice. Each term we gather as a whole school in a local forestry estate or in the AONB on our doorstep. Here we deliver cross curricular content, often in mixed age groups, but always with a focus on developing our pupils’ sense of place, space, scale and other geographical concepts. As the children continue on their journey through primary school, returning to these outdoor spaces with new eyes and with new skills not only develops their sense of place in this world but also strengthens their bonds with it. We can truly love a thing as we come to understand it, and to understand something we must first know it. We aspire for our pupils to love the world they live in and to appreciate that it will change over time. They learn that some changes they can influence and others they cannot, and being able to think geographically will give our pupils some of the wisdom required to make good, healthy choices in their lives. Our pupils draw comparisons between their own environment and the wider world, as well as considering similarities and differences between themselves and others and learn to celebrate these and understand how they belong to a global community. We encourage pupils to consider their impact on the environment and how they can care for the world around them through our school ethos, school council, community involvement and geography studies.

Our Geography curriculum offer is inclusive and accessible to all, regardless of background or ability. We celebrate diversity and promote equality, providing opportunities for all learners to engage, participate, and thrive.

Our curriculum builds on the National Curriculum for geography and its aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop contextual knowledge of the location of significant places and landforms from across the globe, defining their characteristic and processes
• Know and understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time 
• Know and use a range of geographical skills needed to:

• Collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes 
• Interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)  
• Communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length.

Generosity          Optimism           Determination          Curiosity          Courage