Geography
"Geography explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future." (Michael Palin)
At Hillcroft, we believe that Geography helps to provoke and inspire children to ask and provide answers to questions about the natural and human world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The geography curriculum at Hillcroft is designed to ensure that 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.
The progression of skills allows children to make connections and explore how the Earth and its people have changed over time. As children progress through the school, our curriculum ensures that knowledge and skills are transferable to other curriculum areas, which are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development.
Geography at Hillcroft is taught throughout the year. Key knowledge and skills of each topic have been identified and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children have the chance to develop and review skills throughout their school journey .These skills are outlined on the whole school Geography Knowledge and Skills Progression Map.
In Key Stage 1, we focus on map skills and identifying geographical similarities and differences. We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about the local area, enabling them to develop a sense of who they are, where they live and features of their local environment. We introduce and encourage the use of geographical and technical vocabulary throughout all lessons. As pupils progress through the school into key stage 2, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. In key stage 2 we aim to extend the use of geographical and technical vocabulary. In time, so these terms become rooted in children’s long-term memory.
We inspire learners to grow in confidence by providing risk-taking opportunities. Across the school we provide opportunities for developing fieldwork and geographical skills such as map reading and the use of compasses through our Outdoor Learning curriculum.
Pupil Voice:
We are learning about Earth, we live on Earth. I like finding out about volcanoes and deserts.Roisin, Reception
In Geography we have learnt about maps. Maps tell you where you need to go and where places are located. I like finding out about other countries, I have learnt that in Bangladesh they have floating farms.
Sammy, Year 2
I like Geography because we get to explore the world.I have enjoyed learning about the different countries and continents. We have learnt about the equator. I have learnt that it is an invisible line across the middle of the Earth.
Libby, Year 5
Progression of Skills and Knowledge:
At Hillcroft Primary School, we follow the National Curriculum. From this, we ensure that skills and knowledge are taught in the appropriate year groups to ensure progression and sequencing.
Across Early Years, to ensure progression from the newly published Early Years Framework into KS1, we follow the revised and updated July 2021 version of Development Matters. In our Nursery, children are aged three and four, and so the progression maps show the objectives related to Three and Four year-old objectives. However, some children join after just turning three, therefore, with these children and following rigorous assessment of starting points, it may be deemed necessary to look at the Birth to Three objectives too.
For more information on this, please see the Nursery and Reception year group pages. Below are links to our Progression of Skills and Knowledge documents.
