What will geography look like in three years at Burton Road..

Updated May 2023

During my time at Burton Road, we have incorporated a two year cycle approach to our teaching of the curriculum. This has been implemented across all phases in school to ensure that all the statutory aspects of the Geography curriculum are covered.

My aim, as subject leader, is to provide teachers with the knowledge and means to deliver sequential, purposeful learning which engages, motivates and builds on children’s prior learning. Planning documents used in school enable teachers to clearly see where learning is going and shows what learning should have taken place before and what will take place next.

Recently, I have had the opportunity to carry out a Geography enquiry to look at what is working well within school and what we could do to make it even better. This was a great opportunity, as it allowed me to see how the teachers are using the progression document and how they are adapting their teaching to meet the needs of the children within their class. Overall, great practice was seen and it is apparent that the teachers of Burton Road know their children well. I also had the opportunity to interview the children and find out what they enjoy about their geography learning. The children loved the opportunity to share their knowledge with me and were able to clearly articulate what they have learned and why.  As part of this enquiry, feedback was has been given to teachers and next steps have also been discussed, to ensure progress is maintained and we continue to feed our children’s thirst for knowledge.

Within Geography, we use reconnect activities to consolidate learning from previous sessions. From this teachers are able to see what children have retained and what needs to be consolidated further. We have also strived hard to ensure that children are familiar with subject specific vocab and immerse them in it at all opportunities making sure that they are able to use it in a relevant context.  

Overall, I would love to see both teachers and children alike develop a genuine interest in Geography. I would like children to be knowledgeable about where they come from in relation to other towns, cities, counties, countries and continents.   

Geography Rationale

Geography, within the primary setting, allows children to purposefully explore and understand the world in which we all live. It allows them to delve into how the world has evolved over time, in stilling in them awe and wonder around our planet which will stay with them throughout their lives. Geography is the subject in which children acquire the skills to understand their own locality, and others around them, ultimately developing an understanding of how and where people fit into its overall structure. It contributes to the cultural, social and moral life of children as they become aware of a range of varying cultures and traditions, learning tolerance and understanding of other people and differing environments. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. The requirement for geographical knowledge is now, more important than ever as children live in a world that is fully open to them.