Geography

Purpose of Study

At Carville, we aim to equip pupils with a high-quality Geography education that provides pupils with a coherent knowledge about diverse places, people, resources, and natural and human environments. A high proportion of our children enter school with limited experiences of life outside of Wallsend. Our Geography curriculum has been designed to ensure children are provided with opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to develop an understanding of geographical subject knowledge and skills and how this links to them and their lives in Wallsend. As the school serves a community where there is a high percentage of disadvantaged pupils, we aim to increase our children’s cultural capital, by providing geography enrichment activities that children may not otherwise experience (for example, trips to the seaside or country parks).

Our children are generally familiar with the local area they have grown up in. However, they can often struggle to link this to the geographical features and vocabulary that underpins Wallsend. They have limited life experiences of other places and so we introduce children to a range of similar and contrasting places both locally, across Britain and the world. Our Geography curriculum links the

National Curriculum objectives with the geography of Wallsend, alongside inspiring pupils’ curiosity to extend to other areas.

A large proportion of children at Carville come from various countries around the world. Our children build a sense of self-identity through studying and seeing their own countries in relation to their new context. Children are often keen to share their knowledge and experiences of other countries, offering a unique opportunity for children to learn about other countries, directly from their peers. Children make connections and understand how Geography fits into their lives.

At Carville, we aim to activate the children’s prior knowledge and consolidate understanding. Using the Sonar Curriculum, which ensures National Curriculum coverage and progression, our children enjoy their education and made good progress. Geography topics are introduced as clear learning sequences through small steps. Subject specific resources are used alongside working walls to support all learners to develop their understanding of the Geography curriculum. Quality first teaching, differentiation and repetitive fact recall ensure our Geography curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. Geography is taught in topic-based units, linked with other subjects such as English and DT. Interlinked subjects allow children to see and form connections throughout the curriculum, leading to a more thorough understanding, helping children to apply knowledge and skills in and out of context.

A high proportion of our children enter school with lower than average language and communication skills. Our Geography curriculum is designed with a strong focus on vocabulary, ensuring the children have both the subject specific and general language skills to be able to access the National Curriculum and communicate effectively. As a school, we recognise the importance of reading skills and ensure that children are exposed to a wide range of high quality texts and reading opportunities in Geography.

Through Geography lessons, pupils will gain a deep insight into the Earth’s processes, understanding the interaction between physical and human processes and the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills help children understand how the Earth’s features are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Who is the Carville Geographer?

The Carville Geographer has a strong understanding of their local Geography in Wallsend. They are inspired by and have a growing awareness of Britain and the wider world. They can use and apply compass directions and locational language and competently use atlases and maps to identify and locate continents, oceans and countries. They have a strong understanding of the Earth’s processes and can make connections between human and physical geography. The Carville Geographer can communicate geographically in a range of ways and can identify similarities and differences between places based on their landscapes and environments.

Carville Curriculum Rationale

  • Purposeful, hands-on and engaging learning opportunities encourage the development of geographical understanding;
  • Objectives across all strands revisited and embedded within and across year groups and key stages to ensure cumulative fluency;
  • Combination of local, national and international studies ensures breadth of understanding and am ‘connected’ world view;
  • Exposure to a range of topical geographical issues (eg climate change) provides children with a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the interaction between humans and the environment.