Geography explores the relationship between the earth and its people, through the study of place, space and environment.  Geographers ask the questions WHERE? also  HOW? and WHY?

Children at Key Stage Two will have a wide range of formal and informal geographical experiences.  They will have developed a view of the world based on first hand experience in the home locality, together with a look at the wider world through television, books, comics and the Internet.

St. Mary’s Geography teaching aims to build on these various experiences to meet children’s curiosity about places in the world.

Enquiry should form an important part of pupils’ work in Key Stage Two.  It should take into account the children’s interests, experiences and capabilities and lead to investigations based on fieldwork and classroom activities.

At Key Stage 1 it is intended that the Geography topics will:

• Involve the children in active learning;
• Stimulate children’s interest and curiosity;
• Develop basic skills in map work;
• Encourage learning both outside and inside the classroom;
• Encourage children to ask geographical questions;
• Introduce children to people and places, near and far;
• Challenge children’s stereotypes of people and places and encourage empathy;
• Make cross-curricular links with other subjects;
• Be enjoyable and fun;
• Provide a framework within which children can place geographical knowledge.

Key Stage 2.

Enquiry is the process of encouraging children to ask questions and to devise ways of exploring such questions.

• A good Geography topic will:
• Develop locational knowledge;
• Develop basic skills in mapwork;
• Encourage learning outside, as well as inside the classroom;
• Encourage children to ask geographical questions;
• Introduce children to places both near and far;
• Challenge children’s stereotypes of other people and places and encourage empathy;
• Involve children in active learning;
• Stimulate children’s interest and curiosity;
• Increase the children’s understanding of what geographers study;
• Be enjoyable and fun;
• Make links with work in other curricular areas such as Numeracy, Literacy, Science, History and ICT.