Geography

Curriculum & School Organisation including time allocation
Medium term planning is incorporated into termly holistic plans and is developed in staff Planning Journals. Individual lesson planning and outcomes can be evidenced through staff Planning Journals, smart board files, children's books, class and school displays and photographs. Coverage and progression is monitored by the Subject Leader. The Geography Subject Leader ensures policy is in practice and is implemented across the school.
As a Foundation subject, Geography is part of a broad and balanced curriculum where the time allocation for teaching will be accordance to coverage across the school year.

Within school there is a dedicated area to showcase Geography. It offer a hands on experience for children, with a collection of resources on display, together with our key Geographical book and map stock.

Geography and the EYFS
We endeavour to give all of our learners a well-planned and well-organised environment that gives children rich, stimulating experiences. The Early Years Foundation Stage of learning begins when the child is two and extends until the end of Year Reception.
As with the KS1 and KS2 curriculum there are strong cross-curricular links in relation to the teaching and learning of Geography e.g. through role play, art, reading, writing, speaking and listening for example but the key Early Years Outcomes for Geography are included within Understanding of the world:
22-36 Months

Early Learning Outcomes
Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.

Key stage 1
Pupils should develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality. They should understand basic subject-specific vocabulary relating to human and physical geography and begin to use geographical skills, including first-hand observation, to enhance their locational awareness.

Pupils should be taught to:
Locational knowledge

Key stage 2
Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world's most significant human and physical features. They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.
Pupils should be taught to:
Locational knowledge

Teaching and learning style
At Wybunbury Delves, we use a variety of teaching and learning styles to teach Geography. We believe that this can be achieved by working on skills and enquiries which are familiar to the children. We encourage children to ask as well as answer geographical questions. We offer the opportunity to use a variety of data, such as maps, statistics, graphs, pictures, and aerial photographs, and we incorporate the use of IT in Geography lessons where this serves to enhance their learning. Wherever possible, we involve the children in 'real' geographical activities, e.g. research of a local environmental problem or use of the Internet to investigate a current issue.
The learning environment

Curriculum enhancement opportunities
Wybunbury Delves provides children with the opportunity to maintain curiosity beyond the classroom through outdoor areas, educational visits, learning log homework tasks and, wherever possible, through visitors to school. This can be seen within the Geography Curriculum.

We have an established school partnership with Kaiyaba Primary School, Kenya. Originally partnered in 2010, we have since completed two teacher exchanges with funding from the British Council. Our partnership has given us the opportunity to explore themes linked to our Church School Values; gentleness, kindness, goodness, forgiveness, love, peace and joy and self-control. Annually we celebrate our Kenyan partnerhip in the Autumn Term to promote kindness. We have a supportive committee who meet to provide stratgeic direction for the partnership. For fyrther information please refer to Our Partnership Leaflet on the TDrive.

Within this partnerhsip we have evaluated our own approach to the Geography curriculum. In Kenya children learn from the known (their own locality) to the unknown (the wider world). We have adopted this approach (alongside the National Curriculum) to enable for more collaborative work.

Assessment, Recording and Reporting
We currently assess children's learning at the end of a series of lessons through class teacher's judgments, Afl and an assessment task. Assessment evidence is collated in the Subject leader file. The children are assessed as 'above expectation', 'online' or 'below expectation' and this information feeds into a termly cohort percentage grid of achievement. This information is collated annually by class teachers.

The Geography Subject Leader monitors coverage, standards and progression through collating evidence from study work books, cohort assessment folders and cohort percentage grids, lesson observations and pupil voice. The Geography Subject Leader produces a curriculum review at year end and this feeds into action plans and an annual report to governors. For further information, see whole school Assessment, Recording and Reporting Policy.

Monitoring, review and evaluation
Monitoring the standard of children's work and the quality of teaching in Geography is the responsibility of the Geography Subject Leader. The Geography Subject Leader is also responsible for supporting colleagues in the teaching of Geography, informing staff of developments in the subject and for providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school.

The Geography Subject Leader provides an annual curriculum review and feedback form which will be shared with Governors at the annual Curriculum meeting. The professional development needs of staff are assessed through monitoring and where necessary further training is provided. This may be provided internally or externally as appropriate.

Our Critical Friend (member of the Governing Body) will also be invited into school to monitor Geography. This may be to talk to children, observe Geography taking place and meet with the Geography subject-leader to discuss the standing of Geography in school. Each year the Critical Friend will complete feedback which will inform future monitoring.

Resourcing
Resources are centrally stored in our new Geography area (2015) and within study work topic boxes located in the KS2 corridor. We also have membership to the Cheshire Development Centre where a large selection of Global resources can be hired.

CPD
Where possible, the Geography Subject Leader attends CPD meetings for the latest developments in Geography and this is shared with staff formally (staff meetings) and informally (ongoing professional dialogue). Good practice is shared with staff through professional skills dialogue and sharing and through subject leaders working alongside colleagues. Where staff request further CPD, the subject Leader will arrange in liaison with the head.

Curriculum Risk Assessment
Staff are asked to use professional judgment with regard to pupil safety in individual lessons. Where it is deemed necessary, individual lesson risk assessments will be completed. The pro forma for this is in the Subject Leader folder on the t:drive.

Links with other subjects
Our Holistic approach enables our teachers to create a range of cross curricular links with other NC subjects. The evidence of this can be seen on our termly Holistic plans. As part of our teaching of Geography there will be opportunities to develop environmental education and an awareness of global citizenship.