Our Geography curriculum is designed to inspire a lifelong love of learning by helping pupils explore, understand and engage with the world around them. Through a rich blend of knowledge, fieldwork and real-world experiences, pupils develop curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills while gaining an appreciation of diverse cultures, communities and environments. We foster resilience and a growth mindset, encouraging children to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes and believe in their ability to succeed. By providing inclusive, supportive and differentiated learning opportunities, we ensure every pupil feels valued, respected and capable of achieving their potential. Through collaboration, empathy and an understanding of global interconnectedness, we nurture confident, compassionate and informed citizens who are prepared to make a positive contribution to the world around them.
Impact
At Larkspur Primary School, our Geography curriculum equips children with the knowledge, skills and curiosity needed to understand the world around them and their place within it. Children develop a secure understanding of locations, places, human and physical processes, and environmental issues, while building a rich geographical vocabulary. Through carefully sequenced learning and regular opportunities for fieldwork, pupils become confident in using maps, data and a range of geographical sources to investigate and explain the world. They learn to think critically, ask thoughtful questions and make connections between their local community and the wider world. As they progress through school, children develop as informed, reflective and responsible global citizens who are prepared for the next stage of their education and equipped to contribute positively to an ever-changing world.
Implementation
At Larkspur Primary School, Geography is taught through carefully planned units that are delivered throughout the year in half-termly blocks alongside History. Our curriculum is sequenced to build progressively on prior learning, including experiences from EYFS, ensuring that children develop a secure understanding of key geographical concepts, knowledge and skills over time. Each unit explores the core areas of the National Curriculum, including locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography, and geographical skills, while providing opportunities for children to make meaningful links between their learning and the world around them. We make the most of our local environment and provide regular fieldwork opportunities, educational visits and practical learning experiences that allow children to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts and develop a deeper understanding of both their local area and the wider world.
To support long-term retention, key knowledge and vocabulary are explicitly identified within each unit and revisited through regular retrieval practice, low-stakes quizzes, cumulative questioning, learning reviews and the use of technology such as Seterra, Kahoot and Wordwall. A strong emphasis is placed on the development of geographical vocabulary, with subject-specific language carefully planned, modelled and embedded across lessons to help children communicate their understanding with increasing confidence and accuracy. Our curriculum is designed to be inclusive and accessible for all learners, with strategies such as pre-teaching vocabulary, carefully structured resources, reduced cognitive load and the use of sentence stems where appropriate. Through this approach, we ensure that all children are supported to engage successfully with Geography, develop their curiosity about the world and achieve their full potential.
Impact
The impact of our Geography curriculum is monitored carefully to ensure that pupils are developing secure knowledge, geographical skills and a lasting understanding of the world around them. The Geography subject leader evaluates the effectiveness of the curriculum through a range of monitoring activities, including pupil voice interviews, book looks, learning walks and discussions with teachers about pupils’ learning and outcomes. Opportunities for retrieval and revisiting prior learning help to demonstrate how well children retain and apply key knowledge and vocabulary over time. Children are encouraged to talk confidently about their learning, sharing their understanding and making connections between topics studied. Through the moderation of work, assessment of outcomes and regular monitoring, we ensure that pupils are making strong progress, developing curiosity and enquiry skills, and becoming confident, knowledgeable geographers who are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
