Geography

Intent

The intention of teaching Geography at Halley House school is to provide children with a deep understanding of the world around them, fostering a sense of place, global citizenship, and environmental stewardship. At Halley House, we encourage a deep interest and knowledge of our pupils’ locality. By exploring the physical and human features of London, the United Kingdom, and the wider world, we aim to develop children's spatial awareness, cultural appreciation, and critical thinking skills. Through the learning experiences we provide at Halley, we strive to instil a curiosity for different landscapes, societies, and interconnectedness, enabling children to become more informed and responsible participants in an ever-changing global society.

Implementation

The National Curriculum breaks Geography into four strands of learning: Locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and lastly, geographical skills and fieldwork. At Halley House School, we address these through a merge of our own curriculum and Kapow’s geography curriculum for primary schools. Our curriculum is designed to progressively build children's geographical knowledge and skills, starting from their immediate surroundings and expanding to encompass regional, national, and global perspectives. Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies and resources to engage and appeal to a variety of learning styles. We will utilize a combination of maps, case studies, photographs, videos and other digital resources to engage students in experiential learning and develop their spatial thinking and questioning. Through ensuring that all areas of study are linked to half termly topics, we maintain cross curricular links, ensuring our students’ learning has depth and breadth.

Impact

The impact of teaching Geography in Halley extends beyond the acquisition of knowledge about places and landscapes. In order for children to learn more, know more and remember more, at the beginning of each topic, prior learning is always considered and opportunities for revision of facts and geographical approaches are built into lessons: in EYFS- through recorded observations, from key stage 1 to lower key stage 2 by utilising KWL charts (what I know, what I would like to know and what I have learned), and for upper key stage 2- knowledge catchers, that students add to throughout topics. At the end of a unit, learning is assessed in EYFS using the development matters milestones and early learning goals, and for the rest of the year groups they will be assessed using unit quizzes.

We want Geography education to foster an appreciation for cultural diversity and a sense of global citizenship, encouraging students to understand and respect the perspectives and experiences of people from different backgrounds and regions. Moreover, we hope our curriculum will promote children's environmental stewardship and inspire them to take action for a more sustainable future. Ultimately, the study of Geography at Halley will empower children to become informed, engaged, and responsible citizens who are prepared to navigate and contribute to our increasingly interconnected world.