Geography

From our immediate surroundings to the wider world

Geographical understanding starts with knowing where we are.

For some pupils, this means experiencing different environments through their senses, becoming familiar with home and school, exploring natural materials such as rocks, soil, sand and water and beginning to recognise where they are and where they are going.

As pupils progress, they begin to identify and compare different places, recognise geographical features and explore weather and seasons. Simple maps, photographs, symbols, globes and atlases help pupils understand how places can be represented.

Pupils then develop increasingly sophisticated knowledge of places, people, environments and geographical processes. They distinguish between human and physical features, use geographical vocabulary and undertake fieldwork to investigate the world for themselves.

At the most advanced levels, pupils interpret information from different sources, ask geographical questions, collect and analyse data and apply their knowledge to unfamiliar places and situations.

Our Geography Curriculum

Places, landscapes, people and environments

The Geography curriculum develops progressively as pupils move through Newman.

In the earlier stages, pupils explore their school and local environment alongside fundamental concepts such as weather, seasons, countries, continents and oceans.

They learn geographical vocabulary associated with physical features including beaches, cliffs, forests, hills, mountains, seas, oceans, rivers, soil and valleys, alongside human features such as cities, towns, villages, farms, houses, ports, harbours and shops.

As pupils progress, their geographical horizons expand.

Topics within the curriculum include:

• Exploring Britain – the countries and cities of the UK and their human and physical features
• Weather and Climate – different weather patterns, climates and environmental processes
• Europe and the wider world – comparing the UK with other regions and countries
• Continents and Oceans – developing knowledge of the world’s major geographical divisions
• Settlements and Land Use – understanding how and why different settlements develop
• The Americas and Africa – investigating physical and human geography in contrasting regions
• Volcanoes and Earthquakes – exploring natural processes, hazards, causes and effects
• Rivers and Coasts – understanding the processes that create and change landscapes
• Ecosystems – investigating contrasting environments and their characteristics
• Climate Change – exploring causes, effects and the relationship between climate and people
• Tourism – examining global tourism and its impact on different places and communities.

Geography Across Newman

Geography is adapted to reflect pupils’ ages, pathways and individual learning needs across Newman’s different settings.

At Whiston, pupils in EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 encounter Geography through Humanities and, particularly for younger pupils, through the wider ‘My World’ curriculum. Learning can take place through continuous provision as well as specific subject teaching.

At Dinnington, pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 access Humanities including Geography, History and RE, following an adapted form of the National Curriculum and working towards appropriate qualifications where relevant.

At NAR, most Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils also access Geography through Humanities, although individual pupils may follow a more bespoke curriculum according to their needs.

Geography for Everyday Life
Preparing for adulthood

An important purpose of Geography at Newman is to give pupils knowledge and skills they can use beyond school.

Understanding where places are, recognising different environments, following routes, reading maps and interpreting information all contribute to greater independence.

Experiences within the local community help pupils become familiar with different places and build confidence travelling beyond their immediate school environment.

As pupils progress, they also develop a broader understanding of the country and world in which they live – recognising that different communities, environments and cultures are connected.

In this way, Geography contributes directly to Newman’s wider aim of preparing pupils for adulthood, participation and greater independence.

Learning Through Our Pathways

Engage

Experiencing the world around us

Pupils experience Geography through sensory exploration of their immediate surroundings.

They encounter different environments and geographical materials such as water, sand, rocks and soil and develop awareness of familiar places and journeys.

Activities help pupils recognise their home and school environments, experience changes in weather and explore different features of the natural and human world.

Communication may take place through gestures, signs, symbols, limited vocabulary or pupils’ individual communication systems, enabling them to express preferences and responses to different experiences.

Discovery

Recognising places and making connections

Pupils begin to identify features within their immediate environment and understand that the world extends beyond the places they encounter every day.

They explore similarities and differences between locations, discuss weather and use simple maps and symbols to represent places.

Pupils develop their ability to describe their surroundings using observations, discussions, stories and maps and increasingly navigate familiar environments independently.

Learning also introduces different countries and ways of life, helping pupils recognise similarities and differences between their own experiences and those of people elsewhere.

Develop

Building geographical knowledge and skills

Pupils develop a broader understanding of human and physical geography.

They learn and use geographical vocabulary, investigate places and environments and distinguish between features such as settlements, buildings, rivers, coasts, mountains and other natural landscapes.

Map work, fieldwork and comparison become increasingly important. Pupils learn to identify features within their local area, use directional and navigational skills and develop their understanding through first-hand experiences.

They also explore geographical processes and begin considering how environments and communities change.

Deepen

Investigating an interconnected world

Pupils deepen their geographical knowledge and apply it across increasingly complex topics.

They use maps, globes, atlases and other sources to investigate the UK and wider world, ask increasingly perceptive questions and collect and interpret geographical information.

Fieldwork can include producing sketch maps, collecting samples and gathering and analysing data.

Pupils explore the relationships between people, places and environments and investigate significant contemporary geographical issues, preparing them for accredited study where appropriate.

Communication • Independence • Resilience

Newman’s three curriculum drivers are embedded throughout Geography.

Communication develops as pupils progress from expressing responses and preferences through gestures, signs and symbols towards using increasingly accurate geographical terminology to describe places, environments and processes.

Independence develops through exploring familiar surroundings, navigating school and community environments, interpreting maps and eventually collecting and analysing geographical information independently.

Resilience grows through encountering different environments and becoming increasingly confident beyond familiar settings. Geography supports pupils’ preparation for adulthood by helping them understand and navigate their local community while developing knowledge of the wider world.