Intent

At Phoenix Infants we believe that Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the 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 Phoenix Infants enables children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas and which can and are used to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills.

We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives; to promote the children’s interest and understanding of diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments.

The curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, throughout their time at Phoenix Infants and also to their further education and beyond.

Implement

Our geography curriculum is sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s geographical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. Geographical locations are not specified in the national curriculum, so we have chosen ours to provide a broad and diverse understanding of our children’s world.

Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, geography projects are sequenced accordingly. For example, children revisit the geography of settlements in the history project School Days after studying types of settlements in the geography project Bright Lights, Big City.

EYFS

Of the seven areas of learning and development outlined in the English EYFS framework the one that fits best with geography is undoubtedly: ‘Understanding the World’. Children are guided to make sense of their physical world and community through a range of personal experiences (However, it is very difficult to imagine developing knowledge and understanding of the world in isolation without simultaneously and symbiotically developing the other six areas).

Through carefully planned Themes, we ensure the “Geography” experiences for our children are both enriched and developed in order to stimulate their knowledge of the world around them and prepare them for the next stage of learning in Geography.

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Our Wonderful World in Year 1 and Let’s Explore the World in Year 2). Teaching these projects in Years 1 and 2 enables children to be introduced to, or revisit, critical geographical concepts, aspects, skills and knowledge. These projects prepare children for the study of more thematic geography projects in the following term. In the spring term of Year 1, children study the project Bright Lights, Big City. This project introduces children to the geography of urban environments and the physical and human features of the United Kingdom. In contrast, in the spring term of Year 2, children carry out a detailed study of coastal geography in the project Coastline. This project introduces children to the geography of coastal environments and provides children with the opportunity for in-depth coastal fieldwork.

Impact

In order to be successful in their next stage of education, our Geography provision and implemented curriculum should enable our children to:

• have the language and locational knowledge to talk about the physical geography of the UK and beyond
• compare and contrast physical and human features between their local community and other locations
• identify and describe simple human and physical features of different places around the world, using geographical vocabulary to support this
• conduct simple fieldwork activities and observational activities

Our approach to Geography education not only enriches children's understanding of their local surroundings but also encourages global citizenship, nurturing their sense of responsibility towards the planet and its inhabitants. By igniting a passion for exploration and discovery, we equip children with essential skills and knowledge that will empower them to navigate and contribute to an ever-changing world.

Our curriculum documents can be viewed below.

For further information, please contact Geography Lead, Mr K Bowskill, on 01753 521888 or post@phoenixinfants.uk.