In the primary curriculum, geography is referred to, unsurprisingly, as an ‘umbrella’ subject because of its capacity to make palpable and effective connections across subjects. Geography’s fundamental role lies in helping children to understand the world, its environments, places near and far, and the processes that create and affect them.

We believe that the geography taught in our school should be led by three main aims.

• For children be taught to develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places and should be able to define physical and human characteristics of said location.
• For children to understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these form a codependent relationship and how it changes over time.
• For children to be competent in geographical skills such as collecting, analyzing and communicating data gathered though experiences, interpreting a range of geographical information, including maps; both physical and digital, diagrams, globes and photographs.

We employ an enquiry based approach to our teaching of geography, which is often facilitated and exemplified through outdoor learning and fieldwork skills. We believe it is important for children to have a hands on experience of geography and for children to build up their own bank of ‘personal geographies’. These ‘personal geographies’ - individual to each child – can be compared, contrasted and brought together through collaboration. This encourages articulation and expression through writing, debating and persuasion, as the children developing in becoming successful Clatford geographers as they move through the school.