Geography
At Rakegate Primary School, we believe that geography is a key skill which children will use throughout their lives. During their time with us, we intend for all children to explore their local area and compare their life in this area with that in other regions in the United Kingdom and in the rest of the world. Through an enquiry-based approach, the children will learn how to draw and interpret maps, develop the skills of research, investigation, analysis and problem-solving. We will encourage our children to think like geographers and ask questions like; where is this place? why is it here?, what is it like and how did it get like this? Through their growing knowledge and understanding of human geography, children will gain an appreciation of life in other cultures. Geography teaching also motivates children to find out about the physical world, the importance of sustainable development and promote key British Values.​​
Our Rakegate Vision for Geography
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Our Geography curriculum is designed to allow each pupil:
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To achieve the best possible academic standards in Geography regardless of starting point or ability.
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To experience and explore human and physical geographical features in a real-life context.
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To understand their role in the sustainability of the world and global citizenship.
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To develop an awareness of other cultures and, in so doing, achieve a respect, tolerance and understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in a multi-cultural country; embedding fundamental British values.
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To encourage a sense of pride for their local area and give them independence enough to ask geographical questions and understand why Rakegate is like it is.
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To instil a sense of community and belonging to their local area, the UK and the world.
National Curriculum
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The 2014 National Curriculum for Geography states that: “A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the framework and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.”​
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It also states that the curriculum aims to ensure that all children:
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develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
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understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time
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are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
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collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes
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interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
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communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length​
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Our Rakegate Geography Curriculum
We follow the 2014 National Curriculum as the basis for our curriculum planning.
We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum using Cornerstones as a basis for our topics. We deliver memorable experiences at the start of each topic to encourage excitement for the subject and a thirst for knowledge.
We build each lesson on prior knowledge and encourage children to make links between what they have already learned and how this can be used to help them learn something new.
