Geography
Intent
At William Reynolds Primary School and Nursery, our vision is “To be the best we can be.” Rooted in our commitment to transformational education and a culture of Thinking, our Geography curriculum develops curious, reflective, and responsible learners who understand the world and their place within it.
Using the Kapow Primary scheme, our Geography curriculum is designed to ensure pupils meet or exceed the National Curriculum end of key stage attainment targets and build the foundations needed to thrive at Key Stage 3 and beyond. It empowers children to think like geographers, cultivating a passion for enquiry, questioning, and exploration. Pupils learn to observe, collect, measure and interpret data to understand physical and human processes, patterns, and places on both local and global scales.
We aim for all pupils, regardless of starting points, to:
- Develop a deepening knowledge of the world and their locality.
- Understand how places are connected and how they change over time.
- Use geographical concepts and vocabulary to explain processes and patterns.
- Undertake meaningful fieldwork using enquiry-based methodologies.
- Engage critically with global issues such as sustainability, climate change, and human impact.
Our curriculum also embodies our Rainbow Values:
- Challenge: through complex geographical enquiry.
- Honesty: in presenting and evaluating findings.
- Ownership: of personal learning and teamwork.
- Courage: in exploring difficult topics or sharing viewpoints.
- Collaboration: through shared investigation and discussion.
By the end of EYFS, children will have worked towards the ‘Understanding the World’ strand of Development Matters, providing a strong foundation for further geographical learning in Key Stage 1.
Implementation
Geography is taught across all year groups following the Kapow Primary spiral curriculum, with knowledge and skills revisited and deepened over time. The scheme is built around the four strands of the National Curriculum:
- Locational knowledge
- Place knowledge
- Human and physical geography
- Geographical skills and fieldwork
Each unit is centred on an open-ended enquiry question, supporting pupils to think independently, apply knowledge and make informed conclusions. Learning is structured around a clear progression of knowledge, geographical concepts and vocabulary. The scheme also aligns with Development Matters and the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) in EYFS.
Fieldwork is integral to each unit, progressing from small-scale investigations on the school grounds to more complex comparisons of contrasting regions. Pupils engage in the full fieldwork cycle: posing questions, observing, measuring, recording, presenting, and evaluating data.
Children develop strong geographical skills including:
- Use of maps, globes, atlases, aerial photos and digital mapping tools
- Understanding grid references, compass points, symbols and keys
- Analysing physical processes (e.g. erosion, water cycle, climate zones)
- Describing human features (e.g. settlements, land use, trade, sustainability)
Teaching is adapted to meet the needs of all learners. Lessons use a variety of strategies, including practical, hands-on and collaborative activities, supported by knowledge organisers and teacher CPD resources (e.g. videos and subject knowledge briefings). This ensures accessibility and ambition for all pupils.
Cross-curricular links and real-world contexts are woven throughout the curriculum, including links to PSHE, science, and history, enhancing relevance and engagement.
Impact
The impact of our Geography curriculum is assessed through both formative and summative methods. Teachers assess pupils’ progress against the learning objectives in each lesson and use:
- Unit quizzes and knowledge catchers
- Fieldwork tasks and pupil presentations
- Discussion and questioning to assess depth of understanding
Assessment for Learning (AfL) is embedded throughout to identify misconceptions and respond to gaps swiftly. Each pupil’s progress is tracked termly using our whole-school foundation subject tracking system.
Subject leaders monitor impact through book scrutinies, learning walks, and pupil voice. This ensures consistency and informs subject development priorities.
By the end of each key stage, pupils will be able to:
- Meet or exceed the National Curriculum expectations in Geography.
- Use a wide range of geographical vocabulary and tools confidently.
- Present and answer their own geographical enquiries using appropriate methodologies.
- Compare and contrast places across the UK, Europe and the Americas.
- Understand the relationship between people and environments over time.
- Use maps, digital tools and data to explore spatial relationships and global issues.
Our pupils leave William Reynolds Primary School and Nursery as articulate, informed and inquisitive geographers, ready to “be the best we can be” as they contribute meaningfully to a changing world.
Geography Progression document
Progression of Geography Concepts
