Geography at Walton on the Hill Primary School

Our Aim

At Walton on the Hill Primary school, we want children to be excited about the world we live in.  We want children to develop their geographical understanding by asking and answering questions about places, such as:

• Where is it?

• What is it like, and why is it like this?

• How is this place changing and why?

• How does it compare with other places?

• How is it connected to other places?

• Who lives there?

The Walton Approach

We are moving towards teaching geographically based topics in half termly units 2 – 3 times a year.   Where possible, links will be made to other areas of the curriculum to enrich learning and embed knowledge.  Each topic will be shaped around key questions for enquiry.

We have identified key skills that the children will have been taught at the end of each year group so that learning is sequential and prior knowledge can be built on.  This will ensure that by the end of Year 6, all children will have covered the National Curriculum.

In Reception (Cygnets) children begin their geographical education to gain a wider experience of the world around them. The learn through first-hand experiences to explore, observe, problem solve, predict, think critically, make decisions and talk about the creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments.

In Key Stage 1, topics will be based around the United Kingdom, the weather, and the use of geographical vocabulary to describe features.  They will also begin to use simple maps.

In Key Stage 2, topics will be based on places further afield, such as different parts of Europe, North and South America.  They will also look at specific features such as rivers, and climactic regions such as rainforests and the Arctic.  They will make their own maps and plans and continue to use more advanced geographical vocabulary.

Children will be taught using a range of different resources, including atlases and digital mapping software, Digimap for Schools, which gives us access to up to date Ordnance Survey mapping tools.  We are extremely fortunate to have access to outdoor space which will be utilised to develop fieldwork skills such as drawing plans and making and interpreting maps.