Our Geography Curriculum.

At Southbury, we want children to develop a deep understanding of the world around them and a genuine curiosity about the people, places and environments that make our planet such a fascinating place.

Geography enables children to understand the relationships between people and places, and the physical and human processes that shape our world. Through our curriculum, children develop geographical knowledge, vocabulary and skills that enable them to ask questions, investigate places and environments, interpret evidence and make informed geographical judgements.

We want children to become geographical thinkers who are curious about the world, understand their place within it and are equipped to become active and informed global citizens.

Our Geography Curriculum: Geo Wonderers.

We use Geo Wonderers, Twinkl's primary Geography scheme, to support the planning and delivery of our Geography curriculum across Key Stages 1 and 2.

Geo Wonderers provides a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum which develops children's understanding of physical geography, human geography, places, environments, geographical skills and fieldwork. Learning is organised around geographical enquiry questions, encouraging children to investigate, explore and develop their understanding before reaching an informed conclusion. 

The curriculum takes children from their local area to the wider world, building their knowledge of places and geographical concepts over time. Children develop their ability to use maps and geographical information, investigate their surroundings, collect and analyse data, identify patterns and relationships, and communicate their findings.

Building Knowledge Over Time.

Our Geography curriculum follows a spiral approach, meaning that important geographical concepts and knowledge are revisited throughout children's time at Southbury. Each encounter builds on previous learning, allowing children to develop increasingly detailed and connected understanding.

Lessons include “Remember” activities which provide opportunities for spaced retrieval, helping children to recall important knowledge and vocabulary from previous learning. New learning is deliberately connected to what children already know, supporting children to build secure mental models and apply their knowledge in new contexts.

This means that children do not simply learn a series of disconnected geographical topics. They build an increasingly rich understanding of how our world works.

Geographical Enquiry.

Geography at Southbury is not simply about learning facts about different places.

Children are taught to think geographically.

Through geographical enquiry, children learn to:

• ask geographical questions;
• observe and investigate places and environments;
• use maps, atlases and other geographical sources;
• collect, record and analyse data;
• identify patterns, similarities and differences;
• explain geographical processes and relationships;
• draw conclusions from evidence;
• communicate their geographical understanding;
• consider possible solutions to geographical issues.

Fieldwork provides opportunities for children to take their learning beyond the classroom and investigate geographical questions in real contexts. Geo Wonderers includes fieldwork enquiries that progressively develop children's skills from observing and collecting simple data through to analysing information, drawing conclusions and evaluating enquiries.

Local to Global.

One of the strengths of Geography at Southbury is the opportunity to start with what is familiar and then broaden children's horizons.

Children investigate their school and local area before developing their understanding of the United Kingdom and the wider world. For example, Geo Wonderers includes local fieldwork, study of the United Kingdom, continents and oceans, contrasting places and regional studies.

This helps children to understand that places are connected and that people experience and shape environments in different ways.

It also fits beautifully with our wider curriculum aim of ensuring that children have opportunities to encounter people, places, ideas and experiences beyond their immediate lives.

The Southbury Geographer. 

By the time children leave Southbury, they will have developed a rich understanding of the world and the geographical processes that shape it. They will be able to locate and describe places, use geographical vocabulary confidently, interpret maps and data, investigate questions and draw conclusions from evidence.

They will be curious about the world, understand that places and people are interconnected, and have the knowledge and geographical thinking needed to become informed and responsible global citizens.