Geography

Geography Intent

We believe that Geography is vital for children to understand the importance of the area and world around them, and that we are all part of a community. We see this as an opportunity to learn about different cultures and countries. An opportunity to learn geographical vocabulary and geographical skills such as map reading and using an atlas Our intent is for children to develop an understanding of the world by learning about physical and human features of the earth and how important it is. The children will layer their geography skills throughout their time in school so they can develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. By doing this we aim to enable children to be culturally aware, tolerant and understanding of other cultures and to give children the enthusiasm to learn about and then want to visit and experience different parts of the world.

What does Geography look like at Horley Infant School? (Implementation)

At Horley Infants we believe in making Geography an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children with their geographical skills. In the EYFS provision, there is ongoing provision for children to access both inside and outside the classroom. Enhanced provision, questioning will also take place where applicable. As Reception is part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, we relate the Geography learning as Understanding of the World. During the Reception year, we look at Harvest, habitats and making observations of the natural world in our Growing topic.

In Year 1 and 2, we move into Key Stage 1, where the lessons are practical and engaging and follow many of the same attributes from the EYFS with questioning and resources. We plan for experiences and activities to progress skills and geographical enquiry across school, at a level appropriate for children, at their own level of understanding. In Key Stage 1, our school follows the National Curriculum for Geography. While there are opportunities for all children to develop their skills and knowledge in each enquiry question, the progression of skills planned into the units of work means that the children are increasingly challenged throughout their time in school. For example in Year 1, we focus on the Continents and Oceans, local at the physical features of these. In Year 2, we learn about the physical and human features of seaside and coast, we then during our London Topic we focus on using aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and devise a simple map with basic symbols in a key.