Intent
At Riversdale, the geography curriculum aims to equip pupils with a rich understanding of physical and human geography, fostering curiosity about the world and its people. Through the study of diverse environments and communities, pupils will explore their local area and compare it with other regions in the UK and across the globe. They will build knowledge of geographical processes and develop key skills, such as interpreting maps, digital tools, and conducting fieldwork.
The curriculum nurtures cultural awareness, environmental responsibility, and global citizenship, preparing pupils to engage with an interconnected world. Pupils will be encouraged to think critically, ask questions, and solve problems through challenging tasks designed to develop their geographical knowledge and skills systematically. Building on the foundation of Understanding the World in EYFS, pupils’ learning progresses through concepts, including locational knowledge, place knowledge and source interpretation. This progression ensures pupils deepen their understanding as they move through the school.
An inclusive approach ensures that all pupils, regardless of ability or background, receive the support they need to succeed. Our high expectations encourage every child to reach their full potential, fostering confidence and preparing them to be responsible, informed citizens of the world.
Implementation
The geography curriculum at Riversdale is based on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for Key Stages 1 and 2, as well as Development Matters in EYFS. In Early Years, children develop a foundational understanding of routes, maps and places, as well as having opportunities to develop geographical vocabulary that is built on throughout Key Stage 1 and 2. This is taught through themes such as 'Hot & Cold' and 'The Big Wide World' and children are immersed in key texts that initiate pupil engagement and interest in the study of these.
In Key Stage 1 and 2, children learn through enquiry questions such as "What human and physical features are in my local area?" and "What bodies of water surround the UK?". This provides pupils with a tangible answer by the end of each lesson, giving a context to the learning which builds over time to answer a larger question around a topic or theme. In Year 1, children begin considering and learning about their local area, starting initially with the school and then widening the view to include Southfields. As they progress through the key stages, pupils build on their understanding and knowledge of the UK, making comparisons to other areas/countries across the seven continents.
Geographical skills and fieldwork have a high importance and are interwoven across the curriculum, for example pupils undertake local area visits, conduct surveys, and study environmental issues. We incoporate the study of maps in a variety or ways, including globes and atlases, as well as 'digi-maps' to ensure children have a good understanding of how to use digital maps for different purposes, including planning local, short and long-haul journeys. Specific case studies are used to enable specific teaching of locational and place knowledge and human and physical geography including comparisons. For each unit of learning, children revisit previously taught knowledge in order to retrieve and embed so enabling new knowledge to be effectively built. Based on this, teachers adapt their teaching to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met.
Curriculum Progression
At Riversdale Primary School we believe in the importance of all children developing a deep understanding of geography and in embedding the substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills into their long-term memory. As such, the progression of geography has been carefully mapped, with a consideration to connected subject matter and opportunities to revisit specific concepts over time.
You can find a copy of the 2024-25 Geography Progression Document here.
Lesson Delivery
All children are taught by their class teacher, in dedicated lessons that take place fortnightly (alternating with history). We structure the timetable in such a way as to ensure pupils are building on knowledge and skills throughout the year, rather than in blocks, and use retrieval practices to move knowledge from pupils’ working memory to their long-term memory. To ensure that pupils are able to distinguish between geography and history each week, the school have implemented a colour coded system and incorporated clear lesson symbols, thus providing pupils with a clear visual prompt.
Pupils are provided with a Knowledge Organiser that:
You can find the 2024-25 Autumn Term Knowledge Organisers for Geography below:
Curriculum Policies
Please find our geography policy below:
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