Geography

'Geography Is the tapestry that weaves the world together'

- Gil Grosvenor

Why do we teach Geography?

A high quality Geography education at Herne View Primary School 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 will equip pupils’ 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 will help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human process, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.  

How do we teach Geography?

Work is completed either in a discrete Geography and History book in KS2, or in a topic book in KS1. Floor books may also be used to provide evidence of class based discussions and photographs. Planning is related to at least one of the 8 Geography Big Ideas, which is on display in all classrooms when Geography is taught. These are Time, Place, Scale, Sustainability, Human & Physical interconnections, Earth Systems, Space and Environment. Also on display in classrooms will be a map of the world and UK (and also ideally Europe if space allows) which can be referenced to in any lessons. 

The format of the half termly plan loosely follows below though some subject areas are easier to link into this format than others: consistency purposes: 

L1 - Refer to 8 big ideas on display in room and discuss/define. Recap: Where are we? Look at types of maps / atlases. Oceans/Continents, UK/GB/British Isles differences, Hook video/picture for case study/topic for term. Where is this place? What can we find out about it? Etc. We have lots of ordnance survey maps of the local area and atlases too. There area also A4 print offs of Ilminster, Ilminster & Chard and South Somerset).

L2 - Focus on Biomes  - 8 types fall into the three categories of desert, forest, grassland). What is our focus location in? What is the weather like here? What is the climate like? What is difference between weather and climate? 

L3 - Earth System - eg coasts, water cycle, weather, Earthquake, rivers, floods, types of settlement, etc - this is the lesson where your major geography area of focus happens. 

L4 - How are humans affecting this place? Eg tourism, sustainability, how are we damaging and looking after this place? 

L5 - Fieldwork - try and relate to something you have studied - it does not mean you even have to go off site or you can do much in Ilminster.  This is the geography outside of the classroom.

L6 - Assessment  sheet lesson.

We also ensure we follow the strands of the National Curriculum as below across KS1 & KS2:

Key Concepts Geographical skills and fieldwork: The use of observations, practical resources, data collection and other methods such as drawings, maps and plans to gain information about a specific location.  

Human and physical geography: The understanding of the physical features of the planet. An understanding of how humans use the planet and its geographical resources to meet their needs.  

Locational knowledge: The study of the structure of the earth (continents, countries, regions, climate zones) and how we find our way around the world and the study of physical features of different locations and how this gives places specific human and physical characteristics. 

Place knowledge: The study of similarities and differences of places due to their global position.

Geography and History Long Term Plan 2025-2026