Geography at Oakwood
Below is an overview of the curriculum for each year group (Years 1-6).
YR curriculum information can be found on the main YR page.
Geography Intent
“An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment.”
– David Attenborough
At Oakwood, we offer an engaging, progressive geography curriculum that helps our pupils to develop important locational knowledge, a greater sense of the word we live in, and their enquiry and fieldwork skills.
After beginning their geographical journey in EYFS, pupils build on prior learning from previous year groups which strengthens their understanding of our planet by connecting information and ideas about people, places, processes and environments. This is seen with climate, in which pupils learn about appropriate dress for the weather outside, before learning about the seasons as well as hot and cold places in the world in KS1, and understanding how climate and vegetation are connected in biomes in KS2.
When they leave Oakwood, our pupils have a more detailed and extensive framework of knowledge of the world, including globally significant physical and human features and places in the news. They understand in some detail what a number of places are like, how and why they are similar and different, and how and why they are changing. An example of this is in Y3, where they compare land use patterns in Ashurst with those in Southampton City Centre, or in Y5 where they investigate how and why Southampton has changed over time.
Pupils know about some spatial patterns in physical and human geography, the conditions which influence those patterns, and the processes which lead to change. They show some understanding of the links between places, people and environments, such as the damaging effects of deforestation (Y6) or the benefits and hazards of living close to rivers (Y4).
Furthermore, through inspiring curiosity and promoting teamwork, our pupils are able to carry out investigations using a range of geographical questions, skills and sources of information including maps, graphs and images. They can express and explain their opinions, and through empathy, recognise why others may have different points of view.
