Intent

Geography is a way of looking at and thinking about the world. It is not simply about knowing where places are. At Thomas Jones we aim for a high quality geography curriculum which should inspire in pupils a curiosity and sense of wonder about the world in which they live.

High quality geography provision, by its fundamental nature (learning about the world), intrinsically links to and enhances all areas of learning. It supports children’s understanding of identity and their place in the world. In turn, effective geographical learning only happens in conjunction with its own intricacies and those of other disciplines. Geography alongside History forms a central strand of much of our integrated curriculum here at Thomas Jones, driving many of the units taught. This approach combines the rigour of a subject-specific approach with the flexible nature of a topic-based curriculum; ensuring pupils make meaningful links across different areas of knowledge. This affords our children the opportunity to become experts in the field and allows the time and space to engage children fully, also allowing for a greater number of trips and immersive experiences, something that our children particularly benefit from.

Our geography curriculum incorporates fundamental geographical knowledge and skills and affords pupils a firm foundation in the subject to develop their studies when they transition to secondary school. The ‘Progression of Skills and Understanding in Geography’ document refers to how geographical concepts and skills are planned to be revisited year on year to embed and create ‘hereafter knowledge’. The following principles, drawn from the 2014 National Curriculum, drive geography here at Thomas Jones:

Children are entitled to a high-quality geography education that inspires in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Teaching equips pupils 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.
As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments.
Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the framework and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Children are taught to embody the role of ‘geographer’ and although delivered through an integrated curriculum, the subject of geography is referred to during legitimate geography lessons.

As with all subjects at Thomas Jones, the learning of geographical terms and vocabulary is prioritised. Some of this is linked to children communicating their ideas both throughout and at the end of a unit of learning both orally but also in creating and presenting maps, data and written findings. Correct spellings are insisted upon as well as an understanding of the geographical terminology.