Geography at Westminster
Lead: Gareth Whittam
Geography at Westminster Primary Academy develops children’s knowledge and understanding of people and places utilising many cross-curricular links with subjects such as Literacy, Numeracy and Computing. We use maps, atlases, photos and the internet when learning about the wider world as well as local areas, ensuring a well-balanced and interactive learning experience for all pupils.
During EYFS, pupils will build on a number of skills when working on ‘Mathematics’ and ‘Understanding the World’. Throughout the year in reception, children will be provided with opportunities to explore the natural world around them and discuss their observations. Children will draw information from a simple map. Children will begin to recognise some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries as well as recognise some environments that are different to the one in which they live. This will give them the foundation in Geography in their Early Learning Goals, which prepares them for year 1.
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During Key Stage 1 and 2, our curriculum involves three Geography-led topics each year. Core skills, knowledge, vocabulary and concepts acquired in the autumn and spring terms are applied towards the end of the year in the context of a place-based study in summer.
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Flying a drone over our local area from map work.
Pupils explore both physical and human differences in the world around them. Children learn about the skills needed to ask geographical questions about a locality in the UK compared to a locality in a less economically developed country. Children are taught how settlements differ and change and they understand environmental issues linked to these.
In addition, pupils are given the opportunity to develop their geographical vocabulary and skills of enquiry and fieldwork (including the use of data and map work), and make regular use of globes and atlases, through incidental opportunities within other subjects, via ‘geography in the news’.