Geography at Wivelsfield
Intent
At Wivelsfield, we want every child to develop a deep curiosity and understanding of the world around them. Through our Geography curriculum, pupils are inspired to think like geographers — exploring places, asking questions and investigating how the Earth’s physical and human processes shape our lives.
We equip children with knowledge of diverse places, people and environments, while developing key skills such as fieldwork, map reading, data collection and critical thinking. A key part of our intent is for pupils to undertake meaningful fieldwork in our local area, where they observe, measure, record and analyse geographical features first-hand. These real-life experiences help children make connections between classroom learning and the world beyond school, deepening their understanding of place and community.
By encouraging pupils to believe in their ability to question and explore, we support them to achieve a secure understanding of the world, enabling them to succeed as informed, responsible citizens who can positively contribute to their local and global communities.
Implementation
We have designed our curriculum based on Kapow’s Geography Scheme of work. Our curriculum and lesson design reflects our children's interests and needs as well as our local area and context. We have one Geography topic every full term and alternate this half termly topic with History.
The Four Strands:
The National curriculum organises the attainment targets for Geography under:
Kapow Primary’s Geography curriculum has been planned with these strands running through each unit, ensuring balanced coverage of the different areas of Geography and both substantive and disciplinary knowledge.
Enquiry cycle:
We ensure that pupils are taught to think like geographers by explicitly modelling how geographers question, investigate and explain the world. Our curriculum is structured around an enquiry cycle, which underpins both classroom learning and fieldwork. Through this approach, pupils are supported to ask purposeful geographical questions, plan investigations, gather and analyse data, and draw informed conclusions based on evidence.
Spiral Curriculum:
We have a spiral curriculum with the following key principles in mind:
Fieldwork:
Fieldwork is a key component of our Geography curriculum and provides valuable hands-on experiences that allow children to apply their knowledge to real-life contexts. We are incredibly lucky to have our school in the location we do. Opportunities for fieldwork are carefully planned within the school grounds and diverse and geographically important local area, ensuring learning is practical, relevant and meaningful. By engaging with their immediate environment, pupils develop key fieldwork skills, deepen their understanding of geographical concepts, and build a strong sense of community and environmental responsibility.
Oracy:
Our Geography lessons provide regular opportunities for pupils to talk, discuss and present their ideas about geographical themes and issues. Through structured discussion, debate and collaborative tasks, children are encouraged to explain their thinking, justify their viewpoints and learn from one another.
Sustainability:
At our school, promoting sustainability and raising awareness of climate change is a key priority. We believe it is essential that children understand the impact of human activity on the planet and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take positive action.
Our Geography curriculum supports this by exploring themes such as climate change, resource use, and conservation. Pupils learn how human and physical processes are interconnected, gaining a clear understanding of environmental issues and their significance. By engaging with these topics, children not only broaden their knowledge but also develop a sense of agency, responsibility, and pride in helping create a more sustainable world.
Impact
Our Geography curriculum helps pupils think and work like geographers. Through enquiry, fieldwork and discussion, children explore local and global environments, develop key skills, and build knowledge of places, people and processes.
By revisiting topics in a spiral approach, pupils retain learning, make connections, and grow in confidence. Engagement with sustainability and environmental issues encourages responsibility, agency, and pride in contributing positively to their community and the wider world.