INTENT:

As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world helps them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes. They also become more aware of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

The curriculum has been designed based on a thematic approach where knowledge is acquired, developed over time and applied via understanding through independent practice. All units include examples of real-life places to secure the concepts, issues, and content being delivered throughout. There are also detailed case study experiences at the end of units which allow pupils to apply their knowledge and understanding of place meaning, giving them a place-specific view of geography. In-depth place studies conclude a series of units, allowing pupils to apply their geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to continents or regions of the world including Africa, the Middle East and Russia. Throughout the units there are opportunities for pupils to make geographical decisions, assess and evaluate different geographical issues and think like geographers.

This curriculum takes a thematic approach where knowledge, understanding and skills are developed over the course of each unit and applied through the study of place. Decisions about knowledge selection have been guided by:

● Knowledge that underpins the subject
● Commonly delivered units within the subject
● The national curriculum at all key stages and DfE guidance

Content has been selected for this curriculum that involved making connections between the physical and human world through the study of different places and scales. This also involved concepts that induct students into the discipline of geography so that they can think and ask questions like a geographer allowing them to make sense of the real world and at the same time be able to make links between places, space, scale and how these interrelationships can change over time. The suggested curriculum sequence builds through the key stages so that as pupils move forward in their education they are equipped with the prior knowledge that they need to succeed in the next phase.

IMPACT:

The curriculum develops pupils geographical thinking through the sequence of lessons. To ensure that pupils are in the best position to retain new information each unit is designed to build towards a named place which helps locate their theoretical understanding in the real world. Lessons contain regular pause points to give pupils time to complete tasks, Activities are designed to be accessible and extended writing activities include model answer and where appropriate to support pupils with structuring their own work and provide a scaffold for pupils to be successful in the subject.

The units in KS3 have also been devised so con tent c an be delivered as discrete building blocks. Within the curriculum, a range of examples will ensure that pupils have opportunities to pin their knowledge and understanding to diverse range of places on a global level. As well ad this a much more thorough and ,meaningful engagement with places comes with the inclusion pf the main case studies,. Here pupils get to explore specific places in far greater detail which provides opportunities to develop a deeper understanding and identify synoptic links within the subject.

The board selection of figures in lessons provide a range of opportunities to engage all groups of pupils by providing a visual prompt to hang their knowledge and understanding on but also actual examples of the concept they are exploring. The inclusion of real world examples allows pupils to make sense of contemporary geographical issues and develop their own opinions which are based on a balanced understanding of different stakeholders. This encourages pupils to think like geographers and continue with this thinking beyond the curriculum. The curriculum has been designed so that knowledge can be built upon interleaving and applied as pupils move through the key stage. For example, in Y7 one of the first unit is ‘development’. Through understanding this unit pupils can apply their knowledge and understanding to Y8 units such as population, or tectonic where pupils look at difference between countries regarding geographical events.