Lilliput Church of England Infant School

Subject leader

Linked governor

Hannah Phipps

Kate Davis and James Oliver

Intent

The study of geography involves our pupils exploring the relationship and interactions between people and the environments in which they live and upon which they, and all life on Earth, depends. Many of the pupils who now attend our school will live to see the next century and potentially inhabit a world of 11 billion people. The many opportunities and challenges that will arise during their lifetime will be very much about geography at personal, national and global scales.

What do we expect pupil to know by certain points?

Geography at Lilliput is logical, relevant, broad and balanced in terms of the areas of subject content we have selected, which reflect the guidance of the National Curriculum and CLP Big Ideas. For example, we have ensured that content includes both physical and human investigations of our local area, such as coastal landscapes and comparisons with other coastal towns in India and South Africa. Due consideration has been given to making certain that our geography curriculum maintains relevancy and topicality through including enquiries that engage pupils in studying issues that are relevant to our local area and also current issues in the news where appropriate.

Please see the CLP Geography curriculum document outlining what we expect pupils to know by certain points in the year in line with the Early Learning Goals and National Curriculum.

A priority for the academic year 2020/21 is to ensure that teachers are accurate in their assessment and that our moderation process in geography identifies key knowledge and skills acquisition as well as informing teaching and learning in the next lesson, term and year group.

What is the clear sequence in which the children will encounter the curriculum?

Is it logical?

Does each year build on the last/prepare for the next (including Year 3?)

Learning is sequenced to ensure that pupils can build on previous knowledge and understanding as they tackle more complex and demanding enquiries. For example, our pupils observe and record the distinctive geographical features of the local area of the school. This knowledge is built on in Year 2 as pupils begin to investigate the nature of environmental change in their local area.

Learning is progressively more challenging from EYFS to Year 2 in terms of the complexity of subject knowledge we want our pupils to acquire and also the critical thinking skills we support them to utilise to ensure they understand the significance of that knowledge. These anticipated outcomes in knowledge, understanding and skills acquisition are detailed in the objectives of the schemes of work of each enquiry. In terms of the geographical techniques we want our pupils to master as they progress through the school, our curriculum planning has been informed by our identification of the coverage required in EYFS and Key Stage 1.

Within each year group, the enquiries selected are investigated at particular points in the year to build upon the knowledge and skills acquired previously. For example, our Year 1 pupils learn about the school buildings and grounds as part of an introduction to map skills in the Autumn term, then building on this understanding of their local area and the countries in the UK in the Spring term. In the Summer term, we begin to look at the globe in relation to continents and oceans, recapped in the learning in Year 2.

Link to Unit covers to be added here

Why have we chosen to teach this and not alternatives?

Through continual evaluation of the curriculum at our school, we have made changes to some of the teaching and learning to reflect our aspirations for the knowledge and skills acquisition we want our pupils to attain. We have ensured our curriculum is relevant in terms of the careful consideration that has been given to the selection of geographical enquiries that extend the knowledge and understanding of pupils, whilst retaining relevance in their own lives. For example, selecting topics and learning opportunities that relate to our pupils’ locality, including the school grounds as a microcosm of society and geographical features. We believe that our school is privileged to be located near the coast, and therefore a lot of our teaching and learning reflects such a rich learning resource on our doorstep. In addition to this, we believe that history learning at Lilliput should also reflect the current issues in our society. For example, our children learning about environmental changes and sustainability, as well as the comparisons with other coastal locations such as Goa and Cape Town.

Does the teaching planned match the content?

As subject leader, it is my job to ensure that the teaching and learning in classes matches our curriculum plans as well as reflecting the expectations of CLP and National Curriculum. This is monitored through ‘book looks’ across year groups including feedback, lesson observations and learning walks (to be carried out in Autumn Term 2020), continual monitoring of planning uploaded onto the school network and supporting teachers with effective CPD at staff meetings.

Is there clear progression of skills considering prior learning (revisiting previously taught knowledge including linking with other subjects), which takes into account what will be taught in the next school.

All year groups spend time revisiting skills previously taught and subject leader meets with junior schools to identify the key skills required for children to be successful moving on. As part of the CLP curriculum development, the subject leader (H. Phipps) worked with leaders from across the MAT to ensure consistency as our pupils move onto Key Stage 2.

Have we carefully considered why work has been placed in specific year groups including Reception and at particular points in the year.

Subject leader and CLP working party have spent time looking at progression of skills across EYFS,  KS1 and KS2 to ensure each stage prepares the children effectively for the next stage. 

Implementation

The curriculum is ambitious and meets the needs of all pupils including disadvantaged and SEND.

All children are carefully tracked and monitored with a specific focus on disadvantaged and SEND.  Subject leader to check these children are receiving quality first teaching and additional support.

Does teaching include key elements such as explanation, modelling, scaffold, practise?

We adopt an enquiry focused approach to learning and teaching in geography which develops our pupils as young geographers. Through enquiry our pupils not only build subject knowledge and understanding but become increasingly adept at critical thinking, specialised vocabulary and their grasp of subject concepts. We structure learning in geography through big question led enquiries about relevant geographical topics, places and themes. Our curriculum is therefore ‘knowledge rich’ rather than content heavy as we recognise that if we attempt to teach geographical topics, places, themes and issues in their entirety we restrict opportunities for pupils to master and apply critical thinking skills and achieve more challenging subject outcomes. We adopt a policy of immersive learning in geography that provides sufficient time and space for our pupils not only to acquire new knowledge and subject vocabulary but also develop subject concepts and understand the significance of what they have learned. Our learning and teaching in geography is interactive and practical allowing opportunities for pupils to work independently, in pairs and also in groups of various sizes both inside and outside the classroom. Learning activities are varied, including the use of maps of different scales, photographs, ICT and role play. Similarly we provide varied and differentiated ways for pupils to record the outcomes of their work including the use of discussions, ICT, concept maps, annotated diagrams, improvised drama, group work and the application of a wide range of writing genres where appropriate. Only in this way will knowledge become embedded and ‘sticky’, and ensure that our pupils can build on what they know and understand from one year to the next. The schemes of work for each geographical enquiry highlight both the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the investigation. They are also carefully structured through the use of ancillary questions, to enable pupils to build their knowledge and understanding in incremental steps of increasing complexity until they reach the point where they are able to answer the question posed at the beginning if the investigation. Our learning and teaching in geography also recognise the importance of fieldwork with a number of our investigations involving observation, recording, presentation, interpretation and the evaluation of geographical information gathered outside the classroom.

Can you articulate why teachers are teaching your subject in a particular way?

All our leaders across the school, including governors, regularly review and quality assure the subject is implemented sufficiently well.

Subject leader to provide a termly reports to SLT regarding curriculum implementation.  Subject leader also to meet termly with link governor to review and quality assure subject.

Impact

How do you know that the children have learnt the things that we expect them to learn?

Each enquiry which forms our programme of learning and teaching in geography sets clear objectives and outcomes for the pupils in terms of knowledge and understanding and skills acquisition. The schemes of work also suggest activities or written work where appropriate that can be used to assess whether a pupil has achieved the outcomes. We ensure that when assessing our pupils, evidence is drawn from a wide range of sources to inform the process including interaction with pupils during discussions and related questioning, day to day observations, practical activities such as model making and role play drama, the gathering, presentation and communication of fieldwork data and writing in different genres. The outcomes of each enquiry serve to inform the teacher’s developing picture of the knowledge and understanding of each pupil and to plan future learning accordingly. We do not make summative judgements about individual pieces of work but rather use the various outcomes to build an emerging picture of what the pupil knows, understands and can do.

At the end of each term, we make a summative judgement about the achievement of each pupil against the subject learning goals for geography in that year. At this point, we decide upon a ‘best fit’ judgement as to whether the pupil has achieved and embedded the expected learning goals, exceeded expectations or is still working towards the goals. This decision draws upon the professional knowledge and judgement of the teachers about the progress of each pupil, developed over the course of the term, which allows an informed and holistic judgement of attainment to be made.

What do we do if the children haven’t learnt them?

Our curriculum is inclusive in terms of delivering the same curriculum to all our pupils irrespective of specific learning needs or disabilities and differentiating where necessary through, for example, class support, different learning environments, adapted activities and assessment outcomes. If we feel that a pupil is not achieving ARE in geography, teachers will use their professional judgement to ensure that the pupil is supported moving forward. We send knowledge organisers home to parents to support knowledge acquisition to all pupils and encourage discussion at home, we carry out pre-teach and re-teach interventions and lessons are planned with effective differentiation and scaffolding in place to support all pupils. Our assessment forms include a box for teachers to reflect on what they think the pupil needs to achieve ARE. If at the end of the year a pupil has not achieved ARE, the next teacher will be informed through effective transition discussions and therefore the support will be continued as that pupil’s journey continues at Lilliput.

Are there regular opportunities for retrieval practise?

During every lesson and topic, pupils will revisit prior learning through effective use of questioning and plenaries. Pupils will be given the opportunity to revisit learning from previous year groups detailed in the planning of our curriculum and the CLP Big Ideas document.

How can we see that children’s fluency and mastery is incrementally improving?

If we can see/evidence this we can demonstrate IMPACT

A priority for the academic year 2020/21 is the improvement of effective assessment in history. Each topic has evidence of learning including videos/pictures/written evidence on which to base assessments. These should demonstrate how pupils are mastering skills as they move through our carefully considered curriculum. Or planning also includes how to stretch and challenge pupils who are working beyond th expectations for that year group, including a deeper understanding of historical knowledge and skills demonstrated through questioning and written work where appropriate.

CPD

Staff meetings/CPD – reporting back to staff my expectations and findings from recent curriculum developments. Assisting year groups with curriculum planning and offering advice and guidance on making improvements in teaching and learning.

Geographical Association – constantly updated on new approaches in geography teaching.

Attending conferences with David Weatherly – an expert in history and geography education.