Geography at Hurst Green is designed to help pupils develop a deep understanding of the world, how places are connected and how people and environments influence one another. The curriculum is carefully sequenced from Year 1 to Year 6 to ensure that pupils build secure geographical knowledge alongside increasingly sophisticated disciplinary thinking.

Structure & Sequencing

Our Geography curriculum is structured around key strands: Place & Regional Comparison, Location & Mapping, Human Geography, Physical Processes & Patterns and Environment, Sustainability & Change. These strands are revisited throughout the school so that pupils can return to important concepts in greater depth and complexity over time. Pupils begin by exploring their immediate environment and simple maps in Key Stage 1 before progressing to more complex ideas such as trade networks, climate systems, sustainability and global interdependence in Upper Key Stage 2.

Enquiry

Each unit is enquiry-led and built around a “Big Question” which encourages pupils to think critically, make connections and apply their understanding using maps, sources, data and fieldwork. As pupils move through the curriculum, they progress from identifying and describing geographical features to explaining patterns, analysing relationships and evaluating environmental issues and responses.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is carefully mapped across the curriculum to ensure that important geographical language is explicitly taught, revisited and applied in different contexts. Medium-term plans clearly identify core knowledge, disciplinary skills and vocabulary to support consistency and progression across the school.

Fieldwork and local geography are integral to the curriculum, helping pupils develop a strong sense of place and community alongside an understanding of wider national and global issues. Through the curriculum, pupils are encouraged to become curious, informed and responsible global citizens who understand the relationships between people, places and environments.