Intent

At Bournemouth Park Academy we aim to inspire pupils to have a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We strive to equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. By the time students leave us, they will acquire a solid understanding about the key geographical vocabulary that will contribute to their development as a geographer! 

By the end of Year 6, children will become competent in the geographical skills, including collecting, analysing and communicating with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork. Children will have opportunities to work together to develop their collaborative skills. They will interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes and aerial photographs. Children will be encouraged to ask questions, think critically and communicate their geographical knowledge and skills so that they develop their resilience to learning within Geography.  

Finally, we want the children to appreciate and respect the wonderful world and encourage stewardship of their surroundings so that they will become considerate global citizens. We endeavour to raise children’s knowledge of other cultures and, in so doing, teach respect and understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural country. 

Implementation

The Geography Curriculum at Bournemouth Park Academy is taught in topic-based blocks throughout the year. The key subject concepts that we teach are Locational Knowledge, Place Knowledge, Human and Physical Processes, Geographical Skills together with teaching pupils how to be a geographer by collecting, interpreting and communicating their findings from fieldwork.

To ensure progression throughout each year group across the school, both disciplinary and substantive knowledge are taught in a balanced way. At the beginning of each topic and each lesson, children are able to convey what they know already as well as what they would like to find out. This informs the programme of study and also ensures that lessons are relevant and take into account the children’s needs and their geographical interests. Every child is supported and challenged to reach their full potential. 

Cross curricular outcomes in Geography are specifically planned for, with strong links between geography and Literacy, Maths, History and Art&DT lessons allowing children to embed their basic skills in a real-life context.

Our local coastal area provides endless opportunities for learning outside of the classroom to achieve the desired outcomes.

Each half term, every year group starts their geographical learning journey with a revision of what they have already done so far and completes it with a field work activity or a project that consolidates and assesses their knowledge and skills. The document below shows the knowledge and skills that are covered in each year group for each topic.