Geography
We believe in fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world and its environments so that all learners can understand and cherish the diverse world in which we live.
Key Purpose & National Curriculum Intent
Key Purpose of Geography
- Build an appreciation of space, place, and interdependence.
- Develop an excellent understanding of the local area (Budleigh Salterton, Pebblebed heathland, coast, River Otter), country, and planet.
- Use an enquiry-led approach to ask questions about real-world issues.
- Educate pupils on environmental stewardship and how to impact the planet positively.
- Build secure foundational skills, knowledge, and behaviors.
- Develop relationships with ourselves, others, the world, and God & beyond.
National Curriculum Aims
- Locational Knowledge: Contextual knowledge of globally significant terrestrial and marine places.
- Understanding Processes: Comprehend physical and human processes, their interdependence, and spatial change over time.
- Geographical Skills & Fieldwork: Collect, analyze, and communicate fieldwork data; interpret maps, globes, GIS, and aerial photographs.
- Communication: Express geographical information quantitatively, cartographically, and through extended writing.
Core Concept & Foundational Strands
Organising Principles: Time, Scale, Diversity, Interconnections, Interpretations.
| Strand | Core Focus & Foundational Skills |
|---|---|
| Place | Identify places, describe physical and human features, compare localities, explain connections, and recognize changes over time. |
| Location | Describe where places are using directional language, naming conventions, maps, globes, atlases, coordinates, and grid references. |
| Physical & Human Geography | Explore how human activities shape communities and work, and examine the Earth’s natural features and environmental processes. |
| Skills & Fieldwork | Investigate the world using maps/tools, formulate geographical enquiry questions, collect data, and learn outdoors firsthand. |
| Climate Change & Sustainability | Understand human impacts on climate, explore mitigation strategies, and learn ways to care for ecosystems so all life can thrive. |
Practicing & Embedding Foundational Skills
| Area | Opportunities to Practise & Embed Secure Skills |
|---|---|
| Communication & Language (CLL) | Spoken communication during diagram labeling, collaborative enquiries, asking/answering questions in full sentences, building vocabulary, and respectful listening. |
| Executive Function | Sharing maps/compasses/measuring gear, practicing turn-taking, blocking out distractions in busy field environments, and following multi-step enquiry directions. |
| Writing & Reading | Drawing lines/shapes, applying phonics/spelling to label maps and diagrams, constructing accurate sentences for purpose, and retrieving info from geographical sources. |
| Mathematics | Applying subitising, number bonds, and tables; using shape knowledge; interpreting numerical data, charts, grids, scales, and graphs. |
Progression: Key Stage Summary & Early Years
EYFS Outcomes (Reception)
- Speaking: Offer explanations, express ideas in full sentences, use talk to solve problems and organize thinking.
- Managing Self: Consider the perspectives of others.
- Understanding the World: Draw information from simple maps, compare UK life to other countries, explore the outdoors, describe outdoor sights/sounds/textures, and recognize seasonal changes.
Key Stage 1 Focus
- Locational Knowledge: Name/locate continents, oceans, UK countries, capital cities, and surrounding seas using atlases/globes.
- Place Knowledge: Compare human/physical geography of a local UK area with a contrasting non-European area.
- Human/Physical: Seasonal weather patterns, hot/cold world regions, basic land feature vocabulary.
- Skills/Fieldwork: Compass directions, locational language, aerial photos, map plans, and local school ground fieldwork.
Key Stage 2 Focus
- Locational Knowledge: Focus on Europe and the Americas; environmental regions, key cities, land-use patterns, lines of latitude/longitude, and time zones.
- Place Knowledge: Analyze geographical similarities and differences between a region in the UK, a European region, and a region in North/South America.
- Human & Physical: Climate zones, biomes, water cycle, rivers, mountains, tectonic hazards, settlements, trade, and natural resources (energy, food, water).
- Skills & Fieldwork: 8-point compass, 4- and 6-figure grid references, Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, keys/symbols; measure, record, and present fieldwork using digital tech, graphs, and sketch maps.
Curriculum Overview for Geography
Developed from National Curriculum, Oak Academy, GA, and GeoWanderers
| Stage / Cycle | Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS1 A (2026/27) | Our School (Map Skills) | Our Country (What kind of place is the UK?) | Our World (Continents & Oceans) |
| KS1 B (2027/28) | Our Local Area (Local Coastline & Map Skills) | Weather and Seasons | Contrasting Locality (Non-European Country Study) |
| LKS2 A (2026/27) | The UK (Focus on South West features) | Land-use (UK land usage changes) | Climate Zones and Biomes (Regional study: Amazonas) |
| LKS2 B (2027/28) | Around the World (Maps & Time Zones) | Water and the Water Cycle | Settlements (Where & why people settle) |
| UKS2 A (2026/27) | Mountains, Volcanoes & Earthquakes (The Americas) | Energy and Resources (Sustainability) | Rivers (Importance & landscape shaping) |
| UKS2 B (2027/28) | Europe (Regional study: Northern Italy & Russia) | Trade and Economics (Global connectivity) | Our Changing World / Coasts |
Ensuring Inclusive Practice
Targeted adaptations to support diverse learners during classroom and fieldwork activities.
| Broad Area of Need | Specific Barriers | Planned Adaptations |
|---|---|---|
| Communication & Interaction | • Expressive language • Receptive language • Social communication | • Visual prompts, maps, sentence stems, pre-taught vocabulary. • Short visual instructions, broken-down enquiry steps, symbols, and checklists. • Structured paired fieldwork roles, talk partners, guided questioning. |
| Cognition & Learning | • Working memory • Dyscalculia • Executive functioning • Dyslexia / Literacy • Aphantasia | • Visual success criteria, reference maps, exercise book summaries. • Practical measuring tools, number lines, pre-prepared grid/scale templates. • Step-by-step checklists, visual timelines, worked data-collection examples. • Word banks, symbols, verbal/drawing/practical demonstrations of knowledge. • Physical photos, aerial imagery, globes, real artefacts, firsthand fieldwork. |
| Sensory & Physical | • Visual Impairment (VI) • Hearing Impairment (HI) • Sensory Overload (Autism/SPD) | • Enlarged/high-contrast resources, safely accessible fieldwork environments. • Visual supports, signing, direct line-of-sight for lip-reading. • Quiet work areas, noise-cancelling headphones, desk-facing options, sensory planning for fieldwork (weather, crowds, noise). |
| SEMH | • Anxiety & Perfectionism • Impulse control | • Whiteboards for easy editing; emphasize enquiry as questioning rather than finding single ‘right’ answers. • Clear fieldwork routines, adult support, risk assessments, regulation/movement breaks. |