At Barcroft Primary School, we believe that Geography is an important part of children’s wider education to develop their knowledge of the world around them. All children are provided with opportunities to develop a good understanding of their local area and the environment in which we live in, recognising the importance of the facilities we have around us. Through topics the children learn about our locality and discover what makes our area different to areas both in UK destinations and around the world; not just in the classroom but through the use of fieldwork lessons which are carefully planned.

We provide an engaging and informative Geography curriculum that gives children a rich and varied knowledge of the world. All of our children will learn about a range of locations and habitats both close to home and outside of the UK. Children will use case studies based around their topics to gain key geographic skills such as map reading skills and directional knowledge. Children will also be aware of both human and physical characteristics a range of locations and are encouraged to build their curiosity of both their local area and worldwide locations.

In Early Years, the children learn Geography through the subject Understanding the World. The children access Geography through their play, continuous provision and through adult led activities for a range of topics across the year, as well as in weekly circle time discussions.

How do we challenge pupils in Geography lessons?

At Barcroft Primary, we recognise and celebrate our more able pupils across the curriculum. When teaching Geography, there are a variety of methods used to ‘stretch and challenge’ our pupils. Prior learning and end of unit quizzes allow teachers to identify their more able pupils and provide an appropriate challenge for them. Geography lessons are not only based around the local area but also international countries in order to feed into the pupils’ interests. Opportunities for further research into geographical texts and significant geographers are also available as well as one Geography homework project per year per year group in order to inspire our pupils to learn more and remember more in Geography.

What jobs can Geography lead to in the future for more abled pupils?

Geography is a key skill for children and adults to learn and can lead to a range of exciting opportunities. With advancing technology aiding the ability to travel and communicate between other countries, a lot of jobs in the future for our children may based in international companies in multiple bases around the globe.

Therefore there are endless opportunities for pupils who are more able in Geography. Here are some example of jobs which being more able in Geography can lead to in the future:

• Geography teacher
• Geographer
• Cartographer
• Landscape architect
• Travel writer
• Environmental scientist
• Urban planner
• Surveyor
• Real estate appraiser
• Sustainability consultant
• Transport planner
• Travel agent

How do we ensure all children can access Geography lessons?

Geography lessons are differentiated in a variety of ways. We ensure that we vary our teaching styles to suit the children in the class through visual aids, hands on learning, auditory clips as well as discussion and simplification of language where needed.

How does Geography at Barcroft prepare children with Special Educational Needs for the future?

Geography prepares children with special educational needs in a variety of ways. Geography is key to helping children with SEN understand the world around them. It helps to learn about and understand the local area that they live in and the places they see and visit on a day to day basis, as well as giving them knowledge of places away from their usual surroundings which helps to promote and expand their wider knowledge of the world, and also prepares them for what they might experience should they leave their local area and travel to different parts of the world. Geography also helps develop directional and navigation skills which are helpful in later life for finding places they may not have visited before and may be daunting. The use of map work and devices such as compasses helps to develop this and means that children will be able to be more independent in their adult life. Finally, geography allows those with SEN to discover different cultures and ways of life beyond the ones they are used to. It can spark an interest learning more about other cultures and religions and can encourage children to empathise with people who live in different conditions and have different qualities of life. This skill of empathy will be useful in future life as it will encourage selfless thinking and putting others before themselves where appropriate.

Mr J Keyte

Geography Leader

Here are some websites and games to develop your child's Geography skills:

UK countries and capitals : https://world-geography-games.com/en/europe_uk-ireland.html

Continents : https://world-geography-games.com/en/world_continents.html

General games : https://world-geography-games.com/world.html

Please use the link below to view the Geography Policy: