Geography Lead: Ms Leanne Eccles

At Lever House Primary, our teaching of Geography reflects our school values of SPARK. We aim to make geography lessons fun, engaging and creative, encouraging pupils to develop a genuine curiosity about the world around them. Pupils are encouraged to explore different people, places and environments with respect and understanding, whilst developing their geographical knowledge and skills. They approach geographical enquiries with a positive mindset, show ambition in their learning and work collaboratively with their peers. Through investigating local, national and global issues, pupils develop a sense of responsibility, an appreciation of diversity and a deeper understanding of the world in which they live.

Curriculum Mapping Rationale:

Our Geography curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the needs of our school structure. With an intake of 45 children per cohort, we organise some of our classes into mixed-age groups: Year 1/2, Year 3/4 and Year 5/6.

To ensure that all pupils receive a progressive and well-sequenced geography education, we have developed a two-year rolling programme that follows a spiral approach. This approach ensures that children revisit and build upon key geographical knowledge, skills and concepts over time, allowing for deeper understanding and effective progression across each key stage. Learning is carefully sequenced to ensure that knowledge is built upon year after year and that pupils can make meaningful links between topics.

Planning:

As a team, we have decided to use knowledge organisers and assessment ladders to provide children with a consistent approach to learning. Each unit of work has a knowledge organiser which follows multiple lines of enquiry and contains the information needed to ensure progress and the successful achievement of lesson objectives. Children also have access to key vocabulary that is progressive, and they can utilise this knowledge regularly.

Lessons focus on providing a high-quality teaching environment where clear instructions are delivered and teachers model their thinking wherever possible to support and deepen pupils' understanding. All children are given opportunities to achieve the desired outcomes through the use of appropriate scaffolding and adaptations where necessary. Cohorts are seated strategically to maximise pupils' potential, ensuring that discussion is rich and that topics can be explored effectively with talking partners.

Assessment:

Teachers continuously monitor children's learning using a formative assessment approach. They may use questioning, think-pair-share activities, quick quizzes, live marking, or self and peer-assessment strategies to do this. In some cases, pre-teaching may be required to ensure that children are ready to access lessons alongside their peers. This may involve discussing specific vocabulary, knowledge, skills, or concepts with identified pupils.

Lessons are also planned to include review questions that help children recall previously taught information, enabling them to revisit and embed their knowledge more securely over time.

At the end of each unit, children use an assessment ladder, linked to the Knowledge Organiser, to inform a double-page spread. As they revisit their learning questions, children tick off tasks and demonstrate their understanding, while teachers use the same assessment criteria to evaluate progress. This provides a fun and creative opportunity for children to consolidate their learning and showcase their knowledge and understanding.

In summary, teachers collate assessment information and make judgements based on each child's understanding of the curriculum content. This information is then recorded on a tracking system, where it is stored and can be accessed by staff when required.

If children are absent or need additional support to revisit aspects of their learning, teachers will arrange appropriate intervention to address any gaps in knowledge or understanding.

Monitoring:

Monitoring activities have taken place periodically to ensure the effective implementation of the Geography curriculum across the school. This has included book scrutinies, pupil voice discussions, and ongoing conversations with staff. Evidence gathered demonstrates that pupils are engaged in their learning and are developing both geographical knowledge and disciplinary skills progressively across year groups. Work in books shows clear progression, with children revisiting and building upon prior learning through a range of practical and written activities. Monitoring has also highlighted the effective use of Knowledge Organisers, assessment ladders, and retrieval activities to support long-term retention of key concepts and vocabulary. Areas for development have been shared with staff where appropriate, ensuring consistency and continued improvement in the delivery of geography.

Enrichment Opportunities:

Eco Club

What is Geography Assembly

Earth Day Assembly

World Environment Day Assembly

Open Day – Subject Specific (Geography)

KS1

Map reading within the school grounds

Zoo visit as part of learning about Kenya

Antarctica Day

Fairhaven Lake

KS2

Cuerden Valley River Study

Landscape Art by the Pond

Hothersall Lodge Gorge Walk

Forest School Stone Age/Roman day

USK2

Tower Wood

Mountain Walk

The Mayans VR Experience

Survival Day