Geography
Academic Excellence
At St Joseph’s, we are working towards ensuring that our Geography curriculum, teaches to a high standard covering locational and place based knowledge, human and physical geography combined with geography skills and fieldwork. Children will be given the opportunity to develop their cartographic, graphical, ICT and GIS skills. Our vision is that all children understand their place within the world and have a good understanding of different communities on our Earth demonstrating knowledge as to the physical and human features within these places. The concepts of sustainability and climate change are embedded within the curriculum ensuring that our children have the best understanding of the world around them and the changes that might occur.
Geography is taught as a distinct subject following the National Curriculum and strengthened with fieldwork and Forest school which focuses on skills and locational based knowledge. Where relevant, we make sure that links are made with our curriculum subjects including History and English to strength children’s understanding of the Geography curriculum. Careful thought has been given to encourage children to learn case studies from a wide range of continents whilst ensuring that they understand the physical and human features of their local environment. St Joseph’s school encourage children to get outside and see Geography in practice through educational visits and fieldwork and our links with Chipili school in Malawi encourages understanding of real life context to enhance learning. We want children to enjoy learning about the world whilst understanding their role in the world they live in.
Diversity
At St Joseph’s we are currently reviewing the diversity provided within the Geography curriculum to ensure that case studies are taught that reflect areas from across the World. Teaching children about the physical and human features of different places and comparing them with their own provides an opportunity to learn about the diverse world that we live in whilst challenging preconceived ideas that children may have of particular places. We would like children to understand how people have adapted and live with environmental challenges and think about their own roles in the world that they live in.
Action
Our Geography curriculum at St Joseph’s will enable all children to see have an understanding of different places around the world understanding the physical and human features of a range of places. We want our children to have an understanding of their local area and be able to compare and contrast with places across many of the contexts. Fieldwork will enable our children to strengthen their geographical knowledge whilst practicing their skills. We aim for our children to understand their role as Global citizens who care for our planet and aim to lead sustainable lives equipped to face the challenges of climate change.
