Geography at Heyes Lane Primary School
Our Vision
At Heyes Lane, we see the teaching and learning of Geography as being intrinsically linked to having a love of planet Earth. We strive to be supportive and to make children passionate about the subject as they acquire and develop the geography skills and knowledge they need to become active and ethical citizens; ready for the challenges that the world is facing. Our geography curriculum has been designed in such a way that all of the knowledge and skills which children will acquire as part of the national curriculum, are reinforced and strengthened by the school’s five defining core values.
As well as developing key skills, we want children to develop enough sticky knowledge to be able to articulate and discuss their own knowledge and opinions on the subject of Geography. Geographers at Heyes Lane should be able to debate current topics with kindness, respect and with a solid grounding on the subject area; ready to make a positive difference to the world around them.
Through the children’s growing knowledge of the world, how it works, and how humans have shaped it, children will be given a greater chance to empathise with people from other climates and regions of Planet Earth. This will help children to understand that the small environmental changes they can make individually or in their community can add up collectively to make a big change. The children will know that they can be a part of their own turning point.
Progression & Outcome
At Heyes Lane, we measure children’s success in Geography across the skills and knowledge they acquire as per the National Curriculum but also with our Active and Ethical Citizen curriculum in mind. From KS1 through to the end of KS2, planning is carefully thought through with an eye on where children have come from and where they are headed.
KS1: Children develop the basics of their place on Earth from both a community/local sense to a more global perspective. Children will understand what the United Kingdom looks like on a map, how to locate it and the names of the four separate countries that make up the United Kingdom.
Children also begin to look at the world in a wider sense; undertaking focused learning on areas outside of Europe and beginning to learn about physical Geography such as coral reef and biomes.
Children begin the infancy of their Geographical skillsets in KS1, they will learn about the four points of a compass and how to use maps to identify the United Kingdom.
KS2:In KS2, children refine and finesse their knowledge and skills. They both take a broader look at the world by expanding their knowledge of biomes, habitats and regions; but also take a smaller and more focused dive into certain areas, for example; Year 4 researching the Rainforest or Year 6, looking into geographical reasons behind Manchester’s success in the industrial revolution.
Ethical and Active Citizens: All the while, the children will be looking at the local and global implications of climate change and Earth’s dwindling resources as part of the Ethical and Active Citizen curriculum. There will be a constant focus on how we can change, what we can do to change and why we need to change certain things to help to make the world a better and more equitable place for all.
Links and Resources:
Geography reading for Independent learners