Geography

Intent

At Academy 360, our Geography curriculum aims to nurture a love of the subject and equip children with the tools to be inquisitive about the world around them. We want children to understand their place in the world, starting with their immediate locality of Pennywell and extending to the wider global context. A strong sense of identity and locality lies at the heart of our curriculum. Geography prepares children for life and work in modern society by developing knowledge, skills, and values that promote responsible citizenship.

We also embed British Values throughout our Geography curriculum. Children learn about democracy through decision-making activities, respect for individual liberty when exploring cultural diversity, and tolerance by studying different communities and environments. Rule of law is reinforced through discussions about environmental responsibility and sustainability.

Skills Builder Links:

• Speaking: Through discussions and debates about global issues.
• Problem Solving: When considering solutions to environmental challenges.
• Leadership & Teamwork: During group projects and decision-making activities.
• Adapting: When responding to new information or unexpected outcomes in fieldwork.

Implementation

Our implementation focuses on developing transferable geographical skills through immersive, cross-curricular learning and real-life experiences. Enrichment visits and fieldwork allow children to apply their learning practically.

• EYFS: Children explore the world through tactile experiences and communication, with “Understanding the World” as a key focus.
  Skills Builder: Speaking, Creativity, Adapting.
• KS1 & KS2: Objectives are drawn from the National Curriculum and sequenced for progression. We use the Kapow Primary Geography scheme as a foundation for planning, but it has been adapted to meet the specific needs of our children and to reflect our local context.
  Skills Builder: Problem Solving, Planning, Teamwork, Creativity, Adapting.

We use Skills Builder to develop essential skills such as problem solving, planning, teamwork, leadership, and creativity within geography projects. Voice 21 strategies are embedded to promote oracy, enabling children to articulate geographical ideas confidently through discussion, debate, and presentation.

Technology plays a central role in our pedagogy. Every child has access to an iPad, which supports research, map work, data collection, and digital presentations. Apps and interactive tools enhance engagement and allow for personalised learning experiences.

Continuous provision includes maps, globes, and non-fiction texts in classrooms and shared spaces.

Inclusion

Inclusion is at the heart of our vision. Lessons are adapted to meet the needs of SEND and disadvantaged pupils through scaffolding, visual supports, vocabulary banks, and differentiated resources such as simplified atlases. Technology provides additional accessibility, with iPads enabling personalised tasks and assistive features for learners who need them. Collaborative learning and teacher support ensure all pupils can succeed.

How We Support SEND Children in Geography

• Differentiated tasks using simplified language and visual aids.
• Multi-sensory approaches: maps, images, videos, and hands-on activities.
• Scaffolding and chunking of complex tasks.
• Use of technology for accessibility and engagement.
• Adult support for targeted intervention.
• Pre-teaching of key vocabulary.

Skills Builder: Speaking, Problem Solving, Adapting, Planning.

How We Support Vulnerable Learners in Geography

• Inclusive planning to ensure participation for all.
• Emotional support and encouragement to build confidence.
• Access to additional resources such as visual prompts and structured worksheets.
• Flexible grouping for collaborative learning.
• Regular check-ins and feedback.
• Linking topics to real-life contexts for relevance.

Skills Builder: Teamwork, Speaking, Adapting, Planning.

Impact

Impact is measured through knowledge organisers, quizzes, and termly assessments. Progression is tracked across key stages, and pupil voice is used to evaluate engagement and understanding. Evidence of learning is visible in books, displays, and discussions, demonstrating that children are developing the skills and knowledge to become confident geographers.

Skills Builder: Leadership (in presentations), Speaking (articulating ideas), Problem Solving (applying knowledge to real-world issues), Planning (organising fieldwork and projects).

Please see the link below to view the Geography curriculum overview.

Geography-Long-Term-Plan-Whole-School-Overview.pdf

Curriculum Intent - Geography 

At Academy 360, our KS3 Geography curriculum is designed to foster a deep, lasting understanding of the world—beginning with the familiar and building towards the global. It is ambitious, inclusive, and explicitly sequenced to ensure all pupils, regardless of background or prior attainment, can access, retain, and apply powerful geographical knowledge and skills. We begin with our local environment to connect pupils to their community and gradually broaden their horizons to include national and global challenges, enabling them to make sense of place, identity, and global interdependence. 

At Academy 360, in the Geography Department, we aim to develop knowledgeable, reflective and inquisitive students who understand the world around them and the processes that shape it. Through the study of Geography, pupils acquire powerful substantive knowledge of physical and human environments, alongside disciplinary knowledge that enables them to think geographically, interpret data, analyse spatial patterns and reach well reasoned conclusions. Our curriculum nurtures curiosity about the planet, respect for diverse cultures and places, and a deep understanding of how people and environments interact over time. 

Our Geography curriculum aligns with the Academy’s overarching goals by ensuring pupils achieve strong outcomes, develop positive character traits, maintain good mental wellbeing and engage with rich cultural experiences. Geography plays a distinctive role within the curriculum by enabling pupils to explore themes such as sustainability, globalisation, climate change, development, inequality, population and resource management. The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, introducing all pupils to complex geographical concepts, global issues and real-world case studies they may not otherwise encounter. Carefully sequenced learning ensures pupils build secure foundational, substantive and disciplinary knowledge, enabling clear progression from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4. 

Our Geography curriculum is deliberately ambitious and underpinned by the principle that there is no ceiling on achievement. High expectations are secured for all learners, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, through adaptive teaching and targeted support. Assessment is used diagnostically to identify misconceptions, inform next steps and secure long-term retention. Cultural capital is intentionally developed through exposure to diverse places, fieldwork opportunities, geographical texts and contemporary case studies, with purposeful links made to Science, History and Religious Studies where appropriate. 

Impact 

• Students are engaged and motivated geographers who demonstrate curiosity and confidence when exploring the world around them.  

• Pupils retain and recall key geographical knowledge through regular retrieval practice and low-stakes assessment. 

• Clear progression from KS3 to KS4 prepares pupils for the analytical, evaluative and extended writing demands of GCSE Geography.  

• Disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs make strong progress through targeted intervention and inclusive curriculum design. 

• Students develop transferable skills such as data interpretation, problem-solving, critical thinking and structured argument that support success across the curriculum and beyond. 

The fundamental aims of the geography department are to: 

• Develop pupils’ understanding of key physical and human geographical processes, patterns and concepts.  

• Teach pupils how geographers investigate the world using data, fieldwork, maps, GIS, case studies and enquiry-based methods. 

• Encourage critical thinking, questioning and debate about environmental issues, global challenges and human-environment interactions.  

• Enable pupils to communicate geographical understanding clearly through speaking, writing, data presentation and cartographic skills. 

• Foster respect for different cultures, places and environments, promoting responsible global citizenship. 

Contributing to our A360 Curriculum Intent  

How does our curriculum cater for disadvantaged students and those from minority groups?

Students who are disadvantaged, including those with multiple barriers, are actively considered in curriculum planning and sequencing to ensure equitable access, targeted support, and the best possible outcomes for all. 

The geography department plans and sequences the curriculum with disadvantaged pupils, including those facing multiple barriers, at the forefront of decision-making. Learning is structured to ensure equitable access to clearly defined substantive, disciplinary and locational knowledge through explicit teaching, adaptive scaffolding and high-quality assessment.

Targeted support through the yellow pathway, Engage and LSC provisions is strengthened by bespoke geographical curricula that address individual learning needs, remove barriers to accessing complex concepts and re-engage pupils in meaningful study of the world. This tailored approach ensures that all learners, regardless of starting point, are supported to make rapid and sustained progress while maintaining consistently high expectations. 

Literacy Skills

Students develop strong literacy skills within English through deliberate opportunities to read, write, speak, and listen using subject-specific vocabulary and language, enabling them to communicate and think critically with confidence. 

The geography department deliberately builds frequent and purposeful opportunities for pupils to read maps, interpret data, analyse geographical texts, write extended explanations and engage in structured discussion. Literacy is explicitly taught through the use of precise geographical vocabulary, enabling pupils to describe processes, explain patterns and evaluate human and physical interactions with clarity. Teacher modelling, guided practice and extended writing tasks support pupils to refine their expression, justify arguments and communicate complex ideas confidently. This consistent emphasis on disciplinary language and geographical literacy enables pupils to think critically, express ideas accurately and transfer these skills across the wider curriculum. 

Qualifications

Students leave our academy with excellent qualifications that give them a wide range of choices and opportunities as they move into the next stage of education and adult life.

Through an ambitious, coherently sequenced Geography curriculum and consistently high-quality teaching, pupils leave the academy with strong qualifications that open pathways to further study, training and employment. Secure knowledge of physical and human processes, alongside well-developed analytical, cartographic and evaluative skills, equips pupils with the confidence and critical thinking required for success at GCSE and beyond. This strong disciplinary foundation enables pupils to make informed choices about their future, understand global issues and thrive in the next stage of education and adult life. 

Character Development

Students develop strong character traits that will support them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

The geography department supports pupils to develop the character traits and values needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Through the study of global challenges such as climate change, resource management, migration and development, pupils explore issues of responsibility, sustainability, equity and interdependence. This engagement fosters resilience, empathy and informed curiosity about the world. Structured discussion, debate and enquiry based learning enable pupils to articulate viewpoints respectfully, evaluate multiple perspectives and develop the adaptability and confidence required for active participation in modern society.  

Physical and Mental Health

Our students develop their physical and mental health, alongside their intellectual growth.

The geography department supports pupils’ mental and emotional wellbeing, alongside their intellectual development, by providing a curriculum that encourages reflection, perspective-taking and an appreciation of the natural world. Fieldwork, collaborative enquiry and real-world problem-solving help pupils build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop a sense of belonging. High expectations, consistent routines and supportive classroom practice promote resilience, perseverance and a secure learning environment, ensuring pupils are equipped to manage challenge, maintain positive mental health and grow as thoughtful, well rounded individuals. 

Cultural Experiences and Opportunities

Students have access to high-quality cultural experiences and extra-curricular opportunities.

The geography department provides pupils with access to high-quality cultural experiences and extra-curricular opportunities through an ambitious curriculum enriched by fieldwork, case studies and real-world geographical investigations. These experiences are enhanced through visits to universities, local environments, museums and geographical centres, where pupils engage directly with landscapes, data and professional practice. Enrichment activities such as geography clubs, guest speakers and project-based learning allow pupils to explore global issues beyond the classroom, broadening cultural capital and deepening their understanding of people, places and environments. 

Career Development

Students engage with high-quality careers information and guidance across all key stages.

The geography department supports pupils’ engagement with high-quality careers information and guidance by explicitly highlighting the transferable skills developed through geographical study—such as data interpretation, problem-solving, spatial awareness, critical thinking and decision-making. Pupils are introduced to careers linked to Geography, including urban planning, environmental management, sustainability, GIS analysis, conservation, meteorology, teaching and international development. These links are embedded through curriculum content, fieldwork, enrichment opportunities and purposeful discussion within lessons. This sustained exposure enables pupils to make informed decisions about future study and understand how Geography supports progression into further education, training and employment. 

British Values

Students have a highly developed understanding of the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance.

The geography department develops pupils’ understanding of Fundamental British Values through the study of diverse places, global issues and human-environment interactions. Pupils explore themes such as governance, migration, conflict, development and resource distribution, enabling them to examine the importance of democracy, justice, individual rights and shared responsibility. Structured discussion, debate and enquiry-based learning encourage pupils to evaluate differing viewpoints, challenge injustice and develop respect for diverse cultures and communities. This sustained engagement supports pupils to become informed, responsible and active citizens in modern Britain. 

Protected Characteristics

Students have a strong understanding and appreciation of all protected characteristics, including race, gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation.

The geography department develops pupils’ understanding and appreciation of all protected characteristics through an inclusive curriculum that examines how different groups experience places, environments and global processes. Through case studies exploring migration, development, inequality, urbanisation, climate vulnerability and cultural diversity, pupils gain insight into how race, gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation shape lived experiences across the world. Structured discussion, respectful debate and reflective writing enable pupils to challenge stereotypes, consider multiple perspectives and develop a secure understanding of diversity and equality. This sustained engagement ensures pupils leave with the knowledge, attitudes and respect needed to contribute positively to a diverse society. 

Click the link below to see our Secondary Geography Curriculum

5-Year-Plan-Geography.pdf