Geography

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Exploring our world, understanding places and caring for our planet

At Bosley St Mary's CE Primary School, we believe that geography helps children understand the world around them and their place within it. Our geography curriculum inspires curiosity, encourages exploration and develops an appreciation of the diverse places, people and environments that make up our world.

Through studying our local area, the United Kingdom and the wider world, children learn how physical and human processes shape landscapes, influence communities and connect people across the globe.

Our ambition is to develop knowledgeable, curious and responsible young geographers who understand the importance of caring for our environment and recognise their role in shaping a sustainable future.

How We Teach Geography

Our geography curriculum develops secure geographical knowledge alongside the practical skills needed to explore, investigate and understand the world.

We place particular emphasis on:

• Locational knowledge: Developing children's understanding of where places are, including countries, continents, oceans and significant geographical features.
• Place knowledge: Exploring the characteristics of different places, comparing environments and understanding similarities and differences between communities around the world.
• Human and physical geography: Understanding natural processes, landscapes, settlements, land use and the ways people interact with their environments.
• Geographical enquiry: Asking questions, investigating places, collecting information and using evidence to develop geographical understanding.
• Geographical skills and fieldwork: Using maps, atlases, globes, digital mapping, observation and practical investigations to explore the world.
• Geographical vocabulary: Developing accurate subject-specific language to describe places, processes and geographical patterns.

Through explicit teaching, discussion, investigation and practical activities, children build their knowledge and learn to make connections between places, people and environments.

Our Curriculum Approach

At Bosley St Mary's, we have developed a carefully sequenced, two-year rolling geography curriculum based on Oak National Academy's curriculum resources.

We have chosen Oak because of its evidence-informed, knowledge-rich approach, developed through the expertise of curriculum specialists and educational research. Its carefully structured curriculum supports progression in geographical knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and enquiry skills.

We have thoughtfully selected and adapted the curriculum to reflect the needs of our children, our mixed-age classes and our unique rural setting, whilst ensuring coverage of the National Curriculum.

Our approach combines Oak's curriculum design with meaningful opportunities for geographical investigation, local fieldwork and exploration of the wider world, ensuring that learning is relevant, inclusive and engaging for every child.

Thinking Like a Geographer

We encourage children to investigate geographical questions, recognise patterns and develop an understanding of the relationships between people, places and environments.

Children learn to:

• Ask thoughtful questions about places, environments and geographical processes.
• Use maps, atlases, globes, aerial photographs and digital resources to locate and investigate places.
• Observe, measure and record geographical information through fieldwork.
• Compare different places and identify similarities and differences.
• Explore how human activity affects the environment and how environments influence people's lives.
• Interpret geographical information and communicate findings using maps, diagrams, data and written explanations.

As children progress through school, they develop increasing independence in geographical enquiry, using evidence to explain patterns, processes and changes in the world.

Geography Beyond the Classroom

Our rural setting provides valuable opportunities for geographical learning.

We make purposeful use of our school grounds, Forest School and the surrounding landscape to explore local geography, observe seasonal and environmental changes, investigate land use and develop practical fieldwork skills.

Children are encouraged to connect what they learn about Bosley and the surrounding area with their growing understanding of other places in the United Kingdom and across the world.

We also develop children's awareness of environmental issues, sustainability and their responsibility to care for the natural world, reflecting our Christian commitment to stewardship and service.

Geography for Every Learner

We believe that every child should have the opportunity to explore and understand the world through geography.

Through clear explanations, maps and visual resources, explicit vocabulary teaching, appropriate scaffolding and carefully planned challenges, we ensure that all children can access an ambitious geography curriculum.

Regular retrieval, questioning and discussion help children secure important knowledge, address misconceptions and make increasingly meaningful connections between geographical concepts.

We encourage children to approach geographical learning with curiosity, respect and an open mind, developing an appreciation of different cultures, communities and ways of life.

Our ambition is for every child to leave Bosley with a secure understanding of the world, the skills to investigate geographical questions and a sense of responsibility for the people, places and environments with which we share our planet.