As children progress through Howletch Primary School they develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation for their local area and its place within the wider geographical context. Children will deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes and how this affects landscapes and environments. Geographical understanding, as well as children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is further supported by the school’s links with international schools. Regular trips and extra curricula experiences provide further relevant and contextualised experiences. Children learn about careers related to geography from members of the local and wider community with specialist skills and knowledge through visits and outings, ensuring that all children are well prepared for their next steps in education and learning for life. Our geography curriculum aims to produce children who speak as geographers who are curious and fascinated about the ever-changing world and its people; using this we can monitor the effectiveness of teaching and the impact on learning while evaluating and summarising all aspects of the subject to define next steps for improvement.
Geography in the Early Years:
In the EYFS Geography is encompassed by ‘understanding of the world’ and incorporates children understanding of ‘People and Communities’ and ‘Understanding the World’ whilst skills and curiosity in ‘Technology’ also benefit children’s research and enquiry for geography.
From an early age, the children at Howletch Lane Primary School learn of diverse cultures, beliefs, and routines. Children explore what makes them unique as an individual as well as discussing similarities and differences of their homes and families and their environments. Our environment is decorated with images, stories, and objects from various places, providing children with many opportunities to explore and engage in diverse ways of living.
Utilising our indoor and outdoor environments children are encouraged to explore the distinctive features of their natural world and investigate how things change throughout time as well as enquiring what homes natural objects can provide. We promote methods of caring for the wider world beginning with recycling, whilst also modelling respect for living things and encouraging children to think about how we can make the environment safe and pleasant for all living things.
