Geography

The National Curriculum divides Geography into four strands: location and knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and fieldwork. 

From as early as Foundation Stage, we see the development of skills, knowledge and understanding that help children make sense of their world as an integral part of the school’s work. As part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, we plan opportunities based on Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Throughout Key Stage One and Two we develop locational skills of continents, cities, oceans and different elements of the United Kingdom. Each year we identify different parts of the world, building on previous learning, using atlas, globe and technological resources. 

Within Key Stage Two we develop locational skills further by making comparisons of a human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom to different areas around the world. Which links with Jewish studies curriculum where we explore Judaism within different regions and build comparisons from this. 

Both Key Stages explore human and physical geography looking at concepts such as seasonal changes and the physical and human features of different locations. We explore these aspects linked to our topic and use a range of different resources such as aerial photographs and maps to support the children’s learning. These skills are extended in Key Stage Two to include areas such as settlements and trade activity. We link with our Jewish studies curriculum to ensure that we are covering these aspects when looking at Israel and Judaism around the world. 

We are fortunate to have resources such as globes, atlases and compasses to use when exploring maps and observing physical features. When possible we explore different areas to perform fieldwork investigations of our local area and beyond.  

The impact of the curriculum is clear through the progression of locational knowledge, curiosity and understanding of the world. The children leave Etz Chaim understanding how to read maps, locate different areas of the world and explore and conduct investigations to discover why our land reacts the way it does. The curiosity we embed in our children begins when ‘Understanding the World’ in Foundation Stage and is extended throughout Key Stage One and Two.  

Please click here to view our Progression Document.