Intent

In Signhills Infant Academy we strongly believe that it is vitally important the geography curriculum kindles the excitement, creativity and critical thinking about the world in order to best equip our young pupils to make their own way in it.  We aim to provide our children with a deep understanding of their local environment and the diverse surroundings in the wider world, as well as make them appreciate its human and physical characteristics.  

We have decided to follow the Rising Stars Geography scheme of work as the basis underpinning our Geography Curriculum. Our meticulously created knowledge organisers for each unit of work guide the teachers through the delivery of the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary. We make sure the Threshold Concepts cover all aspects of the curriculum and are cyclical. Accurate monitoring and assessment, regarding children’s reaching or exceeding their expectations, are being based on the bespoke progression framework. As well as the organisation of various field trips around our locality and securing visits from the experts, we believe in the wonders of text immersion as the best medium to expose our children to geographical experiences. We always strive to underpin the delivery of each unit of work via a high quality reading text, recognising its power to inspire and influence any new learning.

Implementation

Signhills Infant Academy chose the Rising Stars Geography as it is a scheme which can be delivered by non-specialists having the core geographical knowledge identified and explained throughout. In order to engage all pupils, enable them to acquire and apply their new knowledge in meaningful contexts, it uses a breadth of teaching approaches specifically designed to the content and desired learning outcomes. It recognises discussions as the most appropriate and systematic means of checking pupils’ understanding, identification of misconceptions and provision of immediate feedback. Additionally, all lessons incorporate questions and tasks to stretch and challenge the more able pupils.  

Moreover, Rising Stars provides the practitioner with the ability to revise previously taught topics in a more challenging contexts inside later units. Various assessments and quizzes, found at the end of each learning journey, enable the students to not only remember the new knowledge but also integrate it into their evolving conceptual framework. Many good quality resources are attached to the lesson plans (including links). It is also worth mentioning that, as geography is essentially a visual subject, a great emphasis is put on the visual literacy in the use of questioning regarding the attached resources. 

Impact 

In our school we have adapted several measures to allow us to check the impact our Geography lessons have on our pupils. Our well-structured and detailed knowledge organisers help individual teachers with termly overviews, while whole school topic list shows clear links between year groups. Threshold concepts as well as the progression chart lets us structure and deliver tailored lessons which are able to include and inspire all pupils. High standards regarding class discussions as well as book presentation are always valued and encouraged. Finally, all our pupils are asked to share their own travelling experiences in order to make the learning personal. There is continuous focus on knowledge retention which is promoted by interactive quizzes and informal chats.