Geography at St John's 

Our Intent for learning in Geography 

The purpose; getting ready for the future: Pupils will be inspired to develop curiosity about the world and its people and understand that the interaction between human and physical features has shaped the world around us and continues to do so.

Developing Independence; a love of learning, meaningful relationships with subject and others: Pupils will understand the interrelationship between the various areas covered in Geography, specific locations around the world and develop an understanding of their place in the world.  Cross-curricular links are made with Maths, Science, English and History and more widely through Art and DT as part of the Curriculum Drivers. We will build on the wide range of experiences and knowledge that our pupils benefit from as a result of our diverse community.

Impact; Challenge and Mastery: Pupils will be able to quickly locate, name and converse about significant global features, use a range of maps and atlases at various scales confidently and understand the importance of being able to navigate using a map using a wide range of physical and virtual resources. Pupils will develop an awareness of the impact various geographical landscapes have had on human behaviour and conversely the impact humans are having on the Earth, particularly with regard to climate change. In EYFS, the pupils often look at weather and compare the seasons which means they can start to understand the climate in the UK.

Promote enquiring minds and metacognition: Knowledge Organisers are used to highlight key vocabulary, maps, locations and human and physical features. Pupils then test their recall and understanding by completing plotting and labelling tasks as well as low stakes quizzes. They are encouraged to ask and answer questions of increasing complexity and make explicit links between their personal experiences and knowledge of the world. Whole school long term planning provides for the regular repetition of geographical skills and objectives and their application to fieldwork as well as written work. EYFS builds on their knowledge of the local area and climate through the year to enable them to keep recapping skills.

A context for learning: Pupils are exposed to a range of high-quality educational experiences. From EYFS all the way to Year 6, pupils are taken on local area trips in Reading to enhance their knowledge of their immediate surroundings. They are provided with the opportunity to test their fieldwork skills in and around the local area. This includes applying compass skills, observing and drawing physical and human features and measuring and recording different variables with the intention that pupils gain an awareness of the geography around them and how it relates to their lives.  At St John’s we have the benefit of staff, parents and children from a range of diverse backgrounds who are willing and able to share their knowledge of Geography from around the world to support pupil’s ability to visualise locations that they haven’t visited and make links with their local knowledge as well as the Curriculum they are taught in school.