Geography
At West Byfleet Infant School we use Cornerstone Curriculum 22 to deliver our Geography curriculum. The Geography projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s geographical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. Geographical locations are not specified in the national curriculum, so they have been chosen to provide a broad and diverse understanding of the world.
Where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections with other projects, geography projects are sequenced accordingly. For example, in Year 1, children revisit the geography of settlements in the history project School Days after studying types of settlements in the geography project Bright Lights, Big City. All geography projects are taught in the autumn and spring terms, with opportunities for schools to revisit less secure concepts in the summer term.
In Key Stage 1, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Our Wonderful World in Year 1 and Let’s Explore the World in Year 2). Teaching these projects in Years 1 and 2 enables children to be introduced to, or revisit, critical geographical concepts, aspects, skills and knowledge. These projects prepare children for the study of more thematic geography projects in the following term. In the spring term of Year 1, children study the project Bright Lights, Big City. This project introduces children to the geography of urban environments and the physical and human features of the United Kingdom. In contrast, in the spring term of Year 2, children carry out a detailed study of coastal geography in the project Coastline. This project introduces children to the geography of coastal environments and provides children with the opportunity for in-depth coastal fieldwork.