Intent

At Wootey Infant School we want to inspire our children to become curious and interested in their local environment and the wider world.  We want them to develop a love for Geography that will last them their whole lives.  We have developed a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum that will children to develop their skills and knowledge.  Children will have the opportunity to explore the school, the local environment and other locations in the UK where they will be able to develop and use their fieldwork skills. Children will develop respect, empathy and a love of the living world and for the people and cultures that live within it.  Our children will learn a wealth of Geographical Vocabulary through our carefully planned curriculum; which we will revisit regularly to enable the children to consolidate their understanding.  Through cross curricular learning our children will make links and ask Geographical questions.

Implementation

Happiness, Creativity and Respect are embedded in the implementation of history at Wootey Infant School. Children are given opportunities that they may not normally experience, for example visits to the seaside, Windsor castle and exploring the local environment and  school grounds. These experiences are often used as a hook to inspire pupils and ignite the curiosity to learn more or they can be used throughout the topic to help bring the children’s learning to life and allow them to transfer skills acquired. This memorable way to learn about geography creates much Happiness and excitement. It also allows for the understanding of Respect, this being showing respect to the people and places we visit which links into discussions about caring for the environment.  

At Wootey Infant School we follow the Geographical Enquiry Approach to plan. All KS1 topics are delivered through the approach which includes starting with a hook; then a key question to explore. Children then investigate this question, compare, explore and then conclude their findings. By using the geographical enquiry approach it means that during each topic the children will have the opportunity to repeat skills previously used as well as transfer acquired knowledge.

In the Early Years children develop their understanding of the world by exploring the grounds of Year R and going on walks within the local community. We also look at similarities and differences between other locations in the World; including China and India.  Year R have a Curriculum Aspiration 'I can explain how my life is the same and or different to others in the world.'

Impact

When pupils leave Wootey Infant School, their learning in geography will have equipped them with knowledge and skills to begin to understand diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a growing understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.  As they progress, their growing knowledge about the world will have helped them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and our roles and responsibilities in caring for our planet.