Geography

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it the world and all who live in it...." Psalm 24

Geography Subject Ambassadors

At St. Antony's we have identified Geography Ambassadors; pupils who show a particular talent, skill or affinity in Geography. We are keen to nurture this talent. Subject ambassadors work alongside the subject leader, Mrs Malak to develop their subject and enhance our provision for all.

Geography Subject Ambassadors

We are the Geography Ambassadors for 2023-2024

"Geography makes me know more about other countries and cultures and that's so interesting." (Year 5 pupil)

"I like learning about different places. Every time I look at a map of the world, I discover something new." (Year 3 pupil)

"I can draw a map of how I get to school." (Year 2 pupil)

Intent

At St. Antony's our intent of our Geography curriculum is to create a love of the great outdoors, to provoke children's curiosity and fascination about the natural and human world and its people, that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

We are committed to providing children with opportunities to investigate and make enquiries about the local area of Shadsworth and Blackburn so that they can develop a real sense of who they are, their heritage and what makes our local area unique and special.

Working with parents we intend that our pupils leave St. Antony's with the knowledge and skills which will promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. We aim to ensure children are aware of global geographical issues, the importance of sustainability and human action upon the world. Through the teachings of 'Laudato Si, children become armed with the knowledge to make decisions about how they choose to live their lives and look after God's planet, Our Common Home.

Implementation

Geography is taught based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the skills and knowledge to be taught in each key stage. At St. Antony’s Geography is taught once a term and so over the year, there are three units from Year 1-6.

Teachers identify the key knowledge and skills for each topic and consideration is given to ensure progression across topics throughout key stage year groups so that prior knowledge is built upon across school.

EQUALITY

All pupils at St. Antony’s will be protected against discrimination according to the protected characteristics of the Equality Act. We aim to serve our community, as our pupils deserve the best learning St Antony’s promotes and delivers inclusive classroom practices where children, with and without learning differences, learn together. Our classrooms are welcoming and support the diverse needs of all, recognising pupils within the same class will not all have the same starting points. We provide opportunities for children to work together, understand and value different points of view, think critically, and be successful learners.

We use a range of strategies to adapt learning to meet the needs of our children. Some of which are:

• Explicit instruction

• Scaffolding

• Cognitive and metacognitive strategies

• Flexible grouping

• Use of technology

We are committed to creating a school in which the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every pupil are valued.

ENRICHMENT AND MASTERY

We give our pupils the opportunity to demonstrate mastery in a variety of ways. Educational visits are strongly encouraged and are planned for carefully to maximising the learning potential. This is particularly important for Fieldwork. Laudato Si Week is celebrated annually. Through the teachings of Laudato Si children become armed with the knowledge to make decisions about how they choose to live their lives and look after God’s planet, Our Common Home. Children showing extensive aptitude or interest in Geography will be chosen to become subject ambassadors. They will be selected for appropriate enrichment throughout the year. Geography plays a significant part in promoting education for sustainable development. We have established an Eco group where children develop the knowledge and understanding of the concept of sustainable development.

EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE CURRICULUM

We make great use of the outdoors in delivering our Geography curriculum. At St. Antony’s our school grounds and local area are fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded into practice. The children have the opportunity to explore our outdoor classroom, the local area, including orienteering in the school grounds as well as trips to local woods, castles, and using map reading skills during residential trips.

Impact

It is our aim that the Geography curriculum at St. Antony’s equips children with key knowledge and skills, as set out in the National Curriculum, but also with a sense of awareness of themselves as people within a wide world and the impact that they, as people can have upon the world in which they live.

"Geography without fieldwork is like science without experiments."

We make great use of the outdoors in delivering our Geography curriculum. At St. Antony’s our school grounds and local area are fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes.

We ensure that geographical enquiry is at the heart of all fieldwork. Although there are elements of fieldwork built in all units, each year group completes an in-depth piece of fieldwork.

EYFS - Where does the rubbish come from?

Y1 - How can we improve an area of our school?

Y2 - Which human feature is most used in our local area?

Y3 - Does the weather effect our local environment?

Y4 - What are the features of our local river?

Y5- Is our school road safe?

Y6- Why do people visit Blackburn town centre?

Year 4 using a 5 point Likert Scale at Knuzden Brook; June 2024