Geography
“Geography is the subject that holds the key to our future”. Michael Palin
Intent
At Thomas A Becket Infant School, we want children to be curious about the world around them. Geography helps children understand the places they live in, the people who live in different parts of the world and the environments we all share.
We start with what is familiar to children – their home, school and local area – before helping them discover places further afield. Children learn that the world is full of fascinating similarities and differences, and that every place has its own people, landscapes, weather and stories.
Our geography curriculum encourages children to ask questions, explore, observe and talk about what they notice. We want them to develop a love of discovering new places and to understand the importance of looking after our planet and the environments around us.
Implementation
Our creative curriculum allows geography teaching to be practical, exciting and closely linked to children's experiences. Our location in Tarring, close to the beach, brings geography to life through hands-on learning. Children can explore our coastline and local community, making real-world connections to their learning. Children explore their local area through walks, observations and simple fieldwork. They learn to use maps, globes and photographs and gradually develop the skills they need to understand where places are and what they are like.
At TAB Infants we use an inquiry-based approach, encouraging children to ask questions, investigate, explore and discover answers for themselves. In addition, we use stories, pictures, videos, maps and real-life experiences to bring geography to life. Children explore different countries, compare their local area with another part of the world, investigate the weather and seasons, or discover how people live in different environments.
We encourage children to talk about what they see and think, ask questions and share their ideas. Geography is often linked with other areas of learning, helping children make connections and see how their learning fits together.
As children move through the school, their geographical knowledge and skills build year by year. Every new experience gives them another piece of the jigsaw that helps them understand our wonderful world.
Impact
We want our children to leave our school with a sense of wonder about the world and a desire to find out more.
Children become confident talking about places and environments, using geographical words and describing what they notice. They develop simple map skills and begin to understand how places are similar, different and connected.
Most importantly, our children learn that geography is not just about knowing where places are on a map. It is about understanding the world we live in, appreciating the people and places within it, and thinking about how we can care for it.
We hope our children leave us as curious, thoughtful and enthusiastic young geographers, ready to continue exploring the world around them.
What do our children say about geography?
EYFS
“On my map I put a forest and a bridge going over the water. You need to use the bridge, or you will get snapped by crocodiles.”
“I live in Tarring, I think that is in Worthing. Can we find it on the map?”
“The earth has lots of green on it. That is the land and the blue is the sea”
KS1
“We find the countries on the globe. We learnt about the different continents.” “We learnt about how some countries are the same and some are very different.”
“In the desert countries it is really hot and dry.”
“In the Arctic and Antarctic it is really cold.”