Curriculum Intent

At Eastling Primary School, we are incredibly fortunate to have rich and diverse school grounds, which we use regularly to enhance our geography teaching. Our aim is to inspire children’s natural curiosity about the world around them and its people, sparking a lifelong love of learning.

Through a carefully sequenced and progressive curriculum, we equip children with key geographical knowledge and skills by exploring places, people, and both natural and human environments. This helps pupils develop a deeper understanding of the Earth’s physical features and human processes.

Geography is, by nature, an investigative subject. We aim to provoke curiosity and encourage children to ask questions, explore ideas, and discover answers through hands-on exploration, enquiry, and research. Educational visits are a key part of our approach — made possible by our two school minibuses — and provide opportunities to bring geography learning to life beyond the classroom.

Recent experiences include:

· Exploring the Otterden Estate

· Conducting river studies in Canterbury

· Visiting Dungeness and exploring the lighthouse

· Visits to local museums and castles

· Map-reading challenges during residential trips

· Fieldwork in nearby woodlands

These first-hand experiences enrich children’s understanding of their local area and its place in the wider world.

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Implementation

We follow the Kapow Primary Geography scheme, which ensures full coverage of the National Curriculum and supports a clear progression of knowledge and skills across the school.

In EYFS, children begin their geographical learning through the ‘Understanding the World’ strand of the Development Matters framework. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils study a range of engaging topics that cover the four main strands of geography:

· Locational Knowledge

· Place Knowledge

· Human and Physical Geography

· Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

Across all year groups, we also introduce children to key geographical concepts such as: Place, Space, Scale, Interdependence, Physical and Human Processes, Environmental Impact, Sustainable Development, Cultural Awareness, and Diversity.

Each class follows a long-term plan with two to three geography topics per year. Teachers regularly revisit and build on prior learning to ensure skills are embedded. Fieldwork is strongly encouraged, using both the school grounds and local area to give children meaningful, real-world experiences.

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Impact

Our goal is that by the time children leave Eastling Primary School, they are equipped with the geographical knowledge, skills, and curiosity needed for Key Stage 3 and beyond.

We want our pupils to:

· Enjoy learning about geography

· Ask meaningful questions about the world

· Understand the impact humans have on the environment

· Appreciate the diversity of people and places

· Be inspired to explore and protect the world around them

Ultimately, we aim to help our children become thoughtful, informed global citizens, ready to make a positive contribution to the wider world.