Curriculum Statement for Geography
At Lancaster Lane Primary and Pre-School, the study of geography encourages children to make sense of the physical world in which they live and develop a life-long connection with their environment. Our geography curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people whilst helping children to understand their place within it. We want our children to develop a strong awareness of their own immediate surroundings and understand how environments differ from one another so that, through this knowledge, they develop a genuine care and concern for where they live and beyond.
Through geography, children deepen their understanding of both physical and human processes and how these interact over time. They learn about the impact humans can have upon the environment, developing their awareness of important global issues such as climate change, sustainability and natural disasters. We want children to understand how the choices we make can positively and negatively affect the world around us and encourage them to become responsible global citizens.
Our geography curriculum is underpinned by the National Curriculum and carefully sequenced to ensure both geographical knowledge and skills build progressively across each year group. Through engaging and purposeful learning experiences, children develop locational and place knowledge, geographical enquiry skills, fieldwork techniques and map skills whilst deepening their understanding of both physical and human geography.
Learning is regularly revisited to strengthen understanding, support long-term retention and allow children to make meaningful links between prior and new learning. Through discussion, fieldwork, map work and enquiry-based learning, children are encouraged to think critically, ask questions and communicate their understanding confidently.
EYFS
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, geography is taught through the Understanding the World area of learning, particularly within People, Culture and Communities and The Natural World. Opportunities for geographical learning are carefully woven throughout both adult-led teaching and continuous provision to encourage children to explore, observe and ask questions about the world around them.
In Pre-School, children begin to develop an awareness of familiar environments and places. For our two-year-olds, learning focuses on identifying indoors and outdoors and recognising familiar places such as home and school. As children progress, they begin to identify features within their local environment such as shops, parks and houses, whilst also exploring similarities and differences between familiar places and environments further afield.
Throughout Reception, children continue to develop geographical understanding through direct teaching, exploration and enhanced provision linked to Development Matters and the Early Learning Goals. Children learn about their local area, identify key places within school and begin to understand that environments can differ from one another. They explore weather patterns, maps and aerial views whilst developing language linked to place, direction and environment.
By the end of Reception, children are expected to achieve the Early Learning Goals linked to People, Culture and Communities and The Natural World. These areas support children in developing curiosity, observational skills and an understanding of the world around them, providing the foundations for future geographical learning.
Key Stage One
In Key Stage 1, children begin to develop their understanding of the world at both a local and global level. Learning focuses on building knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world whilst developing early geographical enquiry and mapping skills.
Children learn about the seasons, continents and oceans, human and physical geographical features and similarities and differences between locations. They explore their local area through maps, aerial photographs and fieldwork opportunities, developing an understanding of symbols, directional language and basic map skills.
Children are introduced to atlases, globes and world maps and begin to compare environments both within the United Kingdom and internationally. Geography learning in Key Stage 1 encourages children to ask questions, make observations and begin to understand how people and places are connected.
Key Stage Two
In Key Stage 2, children build upon prior learning and develop a deeper understanding of physical and human geography through increasingly detailed and enquiry-based learning. Children explore regions within the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America whilst developing their understanding of environmental regions, biomes, rivers, mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes and the water cycle.
Children continue to strengthen their geographical skills through the use of maps, atlases, digital mapping and Ordnance Survey maps. They develop fieldwork skills, use four and six-figure grid references and apply directional and locational knowledge with increasing accuracy and confidence.
Children explore how physical landscapes are formed and how humans interact with and impact the environment over time. Learning encourages children to think critically about sustainability, climate change and environmental responsibility whilst helping them understand the wider world and their role within it.
Inclusion within Geography
Geography lessons are inclusive, engaging and responsive to the needs of all learners. Teachers use modelling, purposeful questioning, collaborative learning and explicit vocabulary teaching to deepen understanding and support all pupils to succeed. Geography learning is rooted within meaningful contexts and we make purposeful use of our local area wherever possible in order to make geography meaningful to our children.
Inclusion within geography reflects our wider commitment to ensuring every child is supported to access and engage with the curriculum successfully. In line with our school ethos, “Everyone in our school is unique and valued”, geography lessons are adapted to meet the needs of all learners through appropriate reasonable adjustments and inclusive teaching approaches.
Children with SEND are supported to access the same ambitious geography curriculum as their peers through personalised provision and adapted teaching strategies. Within geography, this may include the use of visual supports, practical resources, adapted maps, enlarged resources, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, scaffolding, additional processing time and opportunities to revisit prior learning. Teachers carefully model geographical concepts and explicitly teach subject-specific vocabulary to strengthen understanding and build confidence.
Geography learning is supported through practical enquiry, discussion, fieldwork and real-life experiences to ensure all children can access and engage with learning successfully. Staff carefully consider pupils’ individual communication, sensory and physical needs when planning fieldwork opportunities and geographical activities to ensure all children can participate fully and safely. This may include adapted routes, sensory considerations, adult support, use of technology and alternative methods of recording learning.
Retrieval opportunities, purposeful questioning and collaborative learning are used to support children in retaining and applying geographical knowledge over time. Learning is carefully sequenced and regularly revisited to strengthen understanding and help children make meaningful connections between prior and new learning.
Further information regarding adaptive teaching, reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice can be found within the school’s SEND Information Report and Teaching and Learning Policy.
Assessment
Assessment within geography is used to support and measure pupils’ progress in geographical knowledge and skills over time. Teachers assess children against the identified learning objectives following taught units to ensure that curriculum content has been understood and retained.
At the beginning of units, teachers identify prior knowledge and misconceptions through retrieval activities and discussion. Throughout teaching, opportunities to revisit previous learning are carefully planned to strengthen understanding and support long-term retention. Assessment is informed through a range of evidence including class discussions, fieldwork, map work, practical activities, retrieval tasks, written outcomes and teacher observations.
Teachers use assessment information to identify strengths, address misconceptions and adapt future planning where necessary. Assessment information is also used by the subject leader to monitor curriculum coverage, progression and the effectiveness of geography provision across the school through book looks, lesson visits and pupil voice activities.
Enrichment Opportunities within School
We strongly believe geography should be meaningful and rooted within real-life experiences. Our local area provides the starting point for much of our geography curriculum and we make every opportunity to explore the community around us.
Children regularly engage in fieldwork and local area studies using our extensive school grounds, local housing estates and the wider community. We make purposeful use of local geographical features including Cuerden Valley Park for river studies and the surrounding road network, including the nearby M6 motorway, to support children’s understanding of transport, land use and human geography. These opportunities help children make sense of the world around them and understand how geography can be seen within their everyday lives.
Each year group takes part in geography-based visits and enrichment opportunities linked to their curriculum learning. Geography also supports strong cross-curricular links with subjects including History, Science and Art, helping children to make meaningful connections between environmental, historical and cultural learning.
Through geography, we aim to ensure that every child leaves Lancaster Lane Primary and Pre-School with a strong understanding of the world around them, a curiosity about different places and cultures and a sense of responsibility towards the environment and wider global community.
Last reviewed: June 2026
Subject leader: Tom Clucas
The subject leader can be contacted via the school office. Tel: 01772 433 641