Geography

Statement of Intent

Geography

Intent

At Cockfield CEVC Primary School, we aim to ignite a sense of wonder about the world and its diverse landscapes, cultures, and environments. Geography helps children make sense of the complex and dynamic planet they live on, encouraging them to explore how natural processes and human actions shape our world. Guided by our core values of compassion, perseverance, and courage, our curriculum fosters curiosity, global awareness, and a sense of responsibility for the future. Through engaging lessons, practical fieldwork, and real-world examples, we bring geography to life, helping children develop the knowledge and skills needed to understand and care for the world around them.

Implementation

We deliver geography through the Primary Knowledge Curriculum, which follows the National Curriculum. It is carefully structured and sequenced to ensure that geographical knowledge and skills build progressively throughout children’s time at Cockfield. Pupils learn to interpret maps, analyse data, and understand spatial relationships, while developing the ability to ask questions and draw conclusions about the world. They explore physical and human geography, environmental issues, and the impact of human activity on natural systems.
Our geography curriculum is organised on a two-year cycle to meet the needs of our mixed-age classes. This structure ensures that all children access the full range of units and build their geographical knowledge progressively, regardless of their class grouping. By sequencing learning carefully across the cycle, pupils revisit and deepen key concepts while encountering new content in a logical and coherent order. This approach supports continuity, avoids repetition, and allows every child to develop secure geographical understanding over time.

Impact

By the time children leave our school, they will have developed:

Secure Knowledge and Understanding
A strong grasp of places, environments, and geographical processes studied across different scales—local, national, and global.

Critical Thinking and Communication
The ability to think critically about geographical issues and communicate confidently using appropriate vocabulary, maps, and data.

Analytical and Interpretative Skills
The capacity to interpret maps, charts, and other sources of geographical information, and use evidence to support explanations and conclusions.

Reflective and Enquiry Skills
The ability to ask and refine geographical questions, investigate issues, and evaluate evidence to form reasoned opinions.

Curiosity and Engagement
A passion for geography and an enthusiastic approach to learning, fostering curiosity about the world and an understanding of how human and physical processes interact.

Environmental Awareness and Responsibility
An appreciation of the importance of sustainability and the impact of human activity on the planet, encouraging responsible choices for the future.

Commitment to Research and Challenge
A desire to embrace challenging activities, including opportunities to undertake high-quality geographical enquiry and fieldwork.

Measuring Impact

Impact will be assessed through:

• Monitoring pupil outcomes via pupil voice interviews, book looks, drop-ins, and staff discussions.
• Assessing children’s knowledge of key components as outlined in the scheme of work.
• Evaluating children’s understanding of topic-specific vocabulary.
• Conducting pupil interviews to discuss their learning experiences.
• Moderation and scrutiny of pupils’ books, alongside professional dialogue to assess the quality of learning.
• Sharing good practice during staff meetings.
• Implementing a continuous cycle of monitoring, evaluation, and review, with clear next steps to ensure ongoing improvement.