Geography

At The Fern Academy, we believe that a rounded understanding of the world in which we live is vital if our children are to make informed decisions as they grow up. We want all children to appreciate similarities and differences between different areas of our country, our continent and our planet, and begin to understand the effect that these have on everyday lives in these places. They will be taught about key features of physical geography, including rivers, mountains, rainforests, volcanoes and climate, learning both the processes behind them and the impact that they have on human environments.

We also believe that locational knowledge - the ability to use and identify places on maps and globes - is crucial. All children should leave our school knowing where they live and where that is situated in the world. They will be able to name and locate the seven continents and five oceans, as well as some of the countries and regions that they have studied (such as the Andes and Rocky Mountain ranges, the Caribbean, Amazon rainforest and Kenya to name a few).

Finally, children will learn to behave and think like geographers, collecting information through fieldwork, data analysis, first– and second-hand accounts and map study. Our pupils are encouraged to complete fieldwork investigations within their local area on a regular basis. Furthermore, our pupils will recognise the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of information, and use this to inform their own conclusions and decision making - both at school and in the wider world beyond.

Geography - Knowledge and Skills Progression