Impact 

At Burleyfields Primary School, children develop secure geographical knowledge and the skills to investigate and understand the world around them. They build on previous learning, make connections between places and processes, and use geographical vocabulary with increasing accuracy. 

Children learn to: 

• Locate and describe significant places, countries, continents and oceans. 

• Explain how physical processes and human activity shape places and environments. 

• Compare locations, recognising similarities, differences and connections. 

• Use maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping with increasing independence. 

• Collect, present and interpret fieldwork evidence to answer geographical questions. 

• Consider how people’s decisions affect communities and environments. 

Teachers evaluate the impact of the curriculum through discussion, retrieval activities, practical tasks, fieldwork and pupils’ work. Assessment checks what children know, remember and can apply, identifying misconceptions and informing subsequent teaching. By the end of Year 6, children are prepared for further geographical study at secondary school. 

Intent 

At Burleyfields Primary School, our geography curriculum inspires curiosity about the world and its people. We aim to equip every child with the knowledge, vocabulary and practical skills needed to understand places, investigate geographical questions and explain relationships between people and environments. 

Our curriculum develops locational knowledge, place knowledge, understanding of human and physical geography, and geographical skills and fieldwork. Learning is carefully sequenced so that children build an increasingly connected understanding of the world at local, national and global scales. 

We want children to appreciate the diversity of places and communities, challenge stereotypes and consider different perspectives. Through studying environmental change and sustainability, children develop an informed understanding of how people influence the world and the responsibilities they share in caring for it. 

Implementation 

Our geography curriculum follows the National Curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 and builds on the foundations established through Understanding the World in the Early Years. Knowledge, vocabulary and skills are sequenced progressively, with key concepts revisited and developed across year groups. 

In the Early Years, children explore their immediate surroundings, describe familiar places and notice features and changes in the natural world. Stories, discussion, practical exploration and simple maps introduce them to different places and communities. 

In Key Stage 1, children study their local area, the United Kingdom, the seven continents and five oceans. They compare a small area of the United Kingdom with a contrasting non-European location, identify human and physical features, and explore weather patterns and hot and cold areas of the world. Simple maps, aerial photographs, compass directions and fieldwork develop their geographical skills. 

In Key Stage 2, children extend their knowledge of the United Kingdom, Europe and North and South America. They investigate physical geography, including climate zones, biomes, vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes and the water cycle. Human geography includes settlement, land use, economic activity, trade and the distribution of natural resources. Regional studies help children explain connections between physical features and human activity. 

Teachers introduce new learning in manageable steps, explicitly teach geographical vocabulary and model how to use geographical resources. Regular retrieval and questioning strengthen understanding and identify gaps in prior knowledge. 

Fieldwork is planned progressively, enabling children to observe, measure, record and present geographical information. Children use maps, sketches, tables, graphs and digital tools to interpret evidence and draw conclusions. Local exploration and carefully selected resources connect classroom learning to real places and geographical questions. 

Inclusion 

At Burleyfields Primary School, all children are entitled to an ambitious geography curriculum, including pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language. 

Teachers identify barriers to learning and adapt teaching while maintaining high expectations. Support may include explicit vocabulary instruction, visual resources, accessible maps, practical experiences, additional modelling and structured opportunities to rehearse explanations. 

Tasks are broken into manageable steps where needed, and scaffolding is reviewed as children develop confidence and independence. Fieldwork is planned with accessibility in mind so that all pupils can participate meaningfully. 

Children who demonstrate secure understanding are challenged to interpret more complex evidence, consider alternative explanations and justify conclusions. Ongoing assessment ensures that support and challenge respond to pupils’ needs and enable them to progress through the curriculum.