Geography
Geography at Penwortham Primary School
At Penwortham Primary School, our Geography curriculum aims to ignite pupils’ curiosity and fascination about the world and the people who live in it. We want pupils to develop a secure understanding of places, environments and geographical processes, both locally and globally, and to appreciate how human and physical features shape the world around them.
Our approach to Geography reflects our school values of Aspire, Belong, Care and Discover, supporting pupils to think critically, value diversity, act responsibly and develop a strong sense of place in the world.
Our Geography Curriculum – Intent
Our Geography curriculum is designed to:
develop pupils’ understanding of the world, its people and environments
build secure knowledge of locational, place-based and physical geography
develop pupils’ ability to investigate patterns and processes
teach pupils to communicate geographically using appropriate vocabulary, maps and data
encourage responsible attitudes towards sustainability and global citizenship
We aim to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and curiosity needed to understand the challenges facing the world today and their role within it.
We use Kapow as a basis for our delivery of Geography. Kapow is a structured, high-quality approach to delivering a broad and balanced education that meets the expectations of the National Curriculum. Units are designed to build logically over time, ensuring pupils revisit and deepen understanding rather than encountering content in isolation. This consistent approach supports long-term retention and helps pupils make meaningful connections across topics and year groups.
Implementation - Our Geography Journey
Geography learning begins in EYFS through the Understanding the World area of learning, where children explore their immediate environment, investigate similarities and differences and begin to learn about people, places and cultures.
As pupils move through school, learning is carefully sequenced to revisit and build on prior knowledge. In Key Stage 1, pupils develop an understanding of their local area, the United Kingdom and simple physical and human features. In Key Stage 2, pupils extend their learning to include a wider range of countries, regions and continents, developing a deeper understanding of physical processes, human geography and global interconnections.
Pupils develop their understanding of:
local, national and global geography
human and physical features and how they interact
environmental change and sustainability
similarities and differences between places and cultures
How Geography Is Taught
Geography is taught through enquiry-based lessons that encourage pupils to think like geographers. Lessons are planned using the Kapow Geography scheme, which supports progression, consistency and coverage of the National Curriculum.
Pupils are supported to:
ask geographical questions and investigate answers
use maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping
develop and apply geographical vocabulary
analyse patterns and explain processes
carry out meaningful fieldwork
Fieldwork is an essential part of Geography learning and is embedded across units. Pupils use the school grounds and local area to develop real-world understanding, with opportunities to explore environments further afield where appropriate.
Learning is inclusive and adapted to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, ensuring all children can access and succeed in Geography. We do this through the use of widgets, sentence stems and adapted tasks and chunking, as well as teacher and peer support.
Take a look at the regions we study:
Impact
As a result of our Geography curriculum, pupils:
develop a secure knowledge of places and environments
use geographical vocabulary accurately and confidently
explain physical and human processes and their impact
think critically about environmental and global issues
show curiosity, respect and responsibility as global citizens
By the time pupils leave Penwortham Primary School, they have a strong understanding of their local area and its place within the wider world, and are prepared for future geography learning with confidence and curiosity.
The Geography curriculum at Penwortham Primary School is regularly reviewed to ensure it is ambitious, well-sequenced and meets the needs of all pupils. The subject leader monitors teaching and learning through lesson observations, work scrutiny, pupil voice and assessment information to ensure progression of knowledge and skills across the school.
Through the use of a carefully structured curriculum and enquiry-based approach, pupils develop a secure understanding of locational knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills, including fieldwork. Staff are supported to deliver high-quality Geography lessons through clear curriculum guidance and consistent use of agreed vocabulary and resources.
As a result, pupils are confident in using maps, geographical language and enquiry skills, and are able to explain patterns, processes and environmental issues with increasing depth as they move through school. Pupils show curiosity about the world around them and demonstrate an understanding of their role as responsible global citizens.
How can you help at home?
Geography is all around us! To help develop a love and understanding of the world you can:
Talk about places regularly - e.g. where family members live, where food comes from, or places seen on the news. Linking this to real-world contexts helps children see geography as relevant and meaningful rather than just a school subject.
Use maps at home - find where they live and explore their local area, trace routes for journeys and locate countries they are learning about in school
Watching age-appropriate documentaries (e.g. Blue Planet or Planet Earth) helps children visualise different environments, climates, and landscapes. Discuss what they notice (weather, animals, people) and how places are similar or different.
Observe the local environment - daily weather changes, local land use (parks, shops, roads) and physical features like rivers or hills
Connect geography to food and culture - discuss where ingredients come from, climate and farming and cultural traditions
Geography in Action
Here’s what Geography looks like at our school.
