St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School, Beckbridge Lane, Normanton, WF6 2HZ

01924 891685

St John The Baptist Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Faithfulness, Courage and Respect

Geography Intent

Geography Policy

Geography Coverage and Progression

Whole school planning, progression of knowledge and skills

Geography 

The study of Geography stimulates an interest in and a sense of wonder about places. It helps children make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world. It explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact and how a diverse range of economies, societies and their environments are interconnected.

Geography is an essential part of the curriculum; it explores the relationship between the Earth and its people through the study of place, space and environment. It contributes to the cultural, social, spiritual and moral life of children as they acquire knowledge of a range of different cultures and traditions, and learn tolerance and understanding of other people and environments. Our Geography curriculum is planned and delivered in a cross-curricular thematic way.

Geography is the subject in which pupils learn the skills of understanding a locality and how and where people fit into its overall structure. Developing geographical skills is essential as children live in a world that is wide open to them.

With opportunities to travel and work in different cities and countries across the world, pupils need to use efficiently: maps, charts and other geographical data. The opportunities for the children to carry out geographical enquiry are also of value.

The teaching of Geography would be difficult without acknowledging the future of our planet. The Geography Curriculum places great importance on the interaction between the physical and the human environment. Many areas of study give opportunities to make children aware of these effects upon their surroundings, their own responsibilities and how they can contribute to improving the environment, linking closely with our Eco-Schools work.

British Values

As with all areas of the curriculum, in Geography we focus on British Values. The Geography programme of study enables children to understand that Britain’s rich cultural heritage can be further enriched by the multi-cultural British society of today. Within Geography lessons, children work collaboratively with others and use equipment and resources in and around school respectfully. Further to this, topics may lead to field trips where we always act sensibly and politely around the local community and members of the public.

Geography and Citizenship

Geography contributes significantly to the teaching of Personal, Social and Health Education. Geography is well placed to provide opportunities for children to encounter real situations across a range of scales, local to global, which require the active acquisition of knowledge and understanding, active participation and personal responses. Our Geography curriculum links to the Eco Schools work we are involved in also. We allow the children to arrange their own campaigns, debates and presentations. Geography in our school promotes the concept of positive citizenship

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development


Spiritual development: Through helping pupils to recognise the beauty and diversity of the world. A geographical awareness helps children understand their place in the world. Geography provides opportunities for children to learn about sites of wonder, or physical features that they might wish to visit in the future, for example the rainforest.

Moral development: Through helping pupils to reflect on how the environment is affected by decisions made by people, so that the children can make informed choices in the future. Through discussion, the children learn to appreciate the moral dilemmas posed by introducing changes to the environment (for example, building a motorway) and the effects this can have on the surrounding area.

Social development: Through helping pupils to understand the need to consider the views of others when discussing localities, settlements and the environment. Work on a locality in a less economically developed country provides an opportunity to discuss social issues. Fieldwork encourages collaborative projects, making the most of different strengths and interests within a team.

Cultural development: By exploring different settlements, the children can gain knowledge of different cultures, learning tolerance and understanding of their diversity. 

Home Learning in Geography

You can support your child in history and geography by:

  • Talking to children about any local significant events that will become local history e.g. Tour De Yorkshire and the events of cooling towers in Ferrybridge.
  • Giving children the opportunity to experience local events that will become history.
  • Talking to children about any history that you can remember.
  • Carrying out shared research with your child and sharing an interest.
  • Sharing geographical knowledge and skills when travelling around e.g. discussing land marks, using maps and compasses, discussing where places are, the countries that make up Great Britain and where our capital city is located and what it is called.
  • Discuss any significant national news and events and compare this with our country if possible.  

Below are some home learning challenges that you might like to try with your child:

Geography Work Around School