Geography
“The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.”
At St. Luke’s, we believe that it has never been more important for children to have a comprehensive global understanding and knowledge of the world, its people and its diverse cultures. Through understanding geography and the complexity of our planet, we believe that our children will develop respect for the physical environment and the range of cultures and beliefs that make up our world. Our children will be self-aware of the impact they can have on our planet. We want our children to be inquisitive about the world, open-minded and also responsible for their actions and choices they make.
Our geography curriculum matches the breadth and ambition of the National Curriculum for Geography. All pupils, including those with SEND, access a geography curriculum that has been coherently planned and sequenced, with key skills, knowledge and vocabulary identified and revisited.
Furthermore, we intend our children to be given learning opportunities which ‘inspire curiosity and fascination and allow pupils to explore and understand 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 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’ (The 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England).
Geography teaching at St. Luke’s has a wide application to everyday life, teaching the children to enjoy learning about the world and to have a better understanding of how people live in different locations. Our teachers are knowledgeable and well supported by a Subject Lead with a geography specialism and a passion for her subject. We believe that children should be inspired to enquire and develop an interest in their local area. We want our children to be proud of Formby and the wider area and develop an understanding of the important geographical features we have close by e.g. the internationally and nationally recognised wildlife and geological sites, its dynamic coastline and important dune system.
Geography is integral to our whole-school topic-based curriculum planning, maximising the links within and between different subjects and starting with the early Years (reception classes). Where we feel we can enhance the curriculum to be more relevant and meaningful to our pupils we do; for example, in Year 2 when looking at ‘Where we live’ we also discuss and raise awareness of the homeless. Within this topic we also study our local area of Formby and look at the human and physical features that are similar and different with Shyira in Rwanda, is a community in the located in the hills of North West Rwanda that is supported by St. Luke’s Church and our school.