Geography

Geography is the study of the world around us. It helps children learn about different places, people, weather, and environments. Through geography, pupils explore how the Earth works and how people live, travel, and care for our planet. It encourages curiosity, builds knowledge of local and global communities, and helps children understand their place in the world.

At S. John Fisher school, Geography nurtures curiosity about the world and helps children understand the people, places and environments that shape it. Through exploration, enquiry and real-world learning, we empower every child to achieve, belong, and thrive as young geographers.

⭐ Achieve

Our Geography curriculum equips children with the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to make sense of the world around them. We help children to:

Develop locational knowledge and map-reading skills
Understand physical processes such as weather, rivers and natural landscapes
Explore human geography, including settlements, trade and global communities
Investigate geographical questions and draw conclusions from evidence
Use geographical vocabulary confidently and accurately

Children are encouraged to think critically, ask questions and take pride in their growing understanding of the world.

🤝 Belong

Geography gives children a strong sense of place and connection. We ensure pupils:

Learn about their local area and how it fits within the wider world
Appreciate different cultures, environments and ways of life
Work collaboratively on fieldwork and enquiry activities
Share findings through maps, presentations and creative projects
Participate in whole-school events that celebrate global awareness

Every child is valued as part of a diverse and interconnected global community.

🌱 Thrive

Geography supports children’s personal development and helps them thrive across the curriculum. We encourage pupils to:

Develop resilience through fieldwork and problem-solving tasks
Build confidence by sharing ideas and presenting discoveries
Understand environmental issues and the importance of sustainability
Develop empathy and responsibility as global citizens
Explore the natural world with curiosity and respect

We aim to inspire children to care for the world and become thoughtful, informed citizens.

🌍A Broad, Exploratory and Enquiry-Led Curriculum

Our Geography provision includes:

Fieldwork experiences in the local community and beyond
Map work using globes, compasses and digital tools
Studies of contrasting localities, countries and continents
Investigations into physical and human features
Cross-curricular links with science, history, art and outdoor learning

Through engaging, practical experiences, children develop a deep understanding of the world and their place within it.

Implementation Early Years

Geography is taught in Reception as an integral part of all their work covered during the year. We relate the geographical aspects of the pupils’ work to the objectives set out in the Early Years curriculum, which underpin the planning for children aged three to five. Geography makes a significant contribution to the SJF objectives of developing a child’s understanding of the world through activities such as finding out about different places, habitats and investigating the locality.

Key Stage 1

During Key Stage 1, pupils investigate their local area and a contrasting area in the United Kingdom or abroad, finding out about the environment in both areas and the people who live there. They also begin to learn about the wider world. They carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom. They are encouraged to ask geographical questions about people, places and environments, and use geographical skills and resources, such as maps and photographs.

Key Stage 2

During Key Stage 2, pupils investigate a variety of people, places and environments in the United Kingdom and abroad. In accordance with the National Curriculum, pupils will focus their study on the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America. They find out how people affect the environment and its secondary impact. Pupils carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom. They are encouraged to ask geographical questions, and use geographical skills and resources, such as maps, atlases and aerial photographs. Children will develop geographical enquiry skills; collecting and recording information; developing suitable vocabulary; using fieldwork techniques and maps, plans and atlases. Pupils will use secondary sources of information with accuracy, including aerial photographs, satellite images, etc.

The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in geography lessons. We believe in whole-class teaching methods and combine these with enquiry-based research activities. We encourage children to handle artefacts and offer them the opportunity to use a variety of data, such as maps, statistics, graphs, pictures, aerial photographs, geographical footage.

This year children will carry out fieldwork on measuring soil moisture levels and link their data to what they know about agroforestry and how this type of farming was used in the country that they are studying in geography and history. We recognise the fact that we have learners of differing ability in all our classes, and so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all pupils by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies such as scaffolding tasks or setting a challenge.

Enrichment Opportunities

Pupils have trips and workshops organised across the school to ensure children are engaging with the content taught.

At the end of their time at St. John Fisher we would like all children to leave with:

A love for geography and are able to understand the world in which we live.
Outcomes in geography books should evidence a broad and balanced geography curriculum and demonstrating the children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge.
A deep knowledge, understanding and an appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context.
An appreciation for the links between geography and history as well other curriculum subjects through our cross-curricular approach.