geography

At Harnham Junior School, our Geography curriculum is designed to give children a real sense of the world around them. Pupils explore both their local area of Salisbury and places further afield, helping them understand their place within our vast, ever-changing world. Through investigating local, national, and global locations, children learn about the Earth’s physical and human features, fostering an understanding of our world’s interdependence. This awareness helps pupils recognise their rights and responsibilities toward others and the environment.

We encourage all children to develop a passion for Geography as an exciting and diverse subject. Curiosity and enquiry skills are at the heart of our lessons, allowing students to ask and answer questions that deepen their geographical knowledge and expand their vocabulary.

Through high-quality teaching, we develop key characteristics in our Harnham Geographers. These are a strong sense of curiosity and pride in learning about our world and diverse communities, excellent knowledge of place locations and their human and physical features, including our local area, Great Britain, and the wider world.  A thorough understanding of how places are interconnected and interdependent. A broad geographical vocabulary, with the ability to confidently talk about their understanding and express ideas through discussion and excellent fieldwork skills, developed where appropriate for each topic.

At Harnham, we aim to ensure every child achieves their best in Geography. Our teachers bring Geography to life with real-world examples and hands-on learning experiences.  The curriculum is thoughtfully designed using the Kapow scheme to provide engaging, well-sequenced, and age-appropriate lessons that meet the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum for Key Stage 2. This curriculum ensures progression in both geographical knowledge and skills. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to build on prior knowledge, ensuring all pupils, including those with SEND, can access and make meaningful progress. This approach also supports our school's improvement priority of raising attainment across the curriculum by embedding key geographical concepts alongside literacy and vocabulary development. Pupils have access to high-quality geographical resources, allowing them to independently read and research our topics, broadening their understanding of the world.

Pupils’ geographical skills and knowledge are developed through locational knowledge, place knowledge, human and physical geography and geographical skills and fieldwork.

The impact we are aiming to achieve is to develop young geographers, who have a keen interest in the world around them and are inquisitive, curious and take pride in our surroundings. The impact of our Geography curriculum can be constantly monitored through formative and summative assessment. Throughout each lesson, teachers observe children at work, individually, in pairs, in a group and in class during whole class teaching to assess knowledge and understanding.  In addition, each unit has an assessment quiz which tracks pupil’s understanding and progression in line with our curriculum goals.  

By the time our children leave Harnham Junior School they will:  

• Have a good knowledge of where places are and what they are like.  

• Have an extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary to support them in their further education.

• Have a passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.  

• Be empowered to overcome barriers and make meaningful contributions to discussions about geography and the world around them. 

• Be proud of their local area and the wider world and know ways in which they can help to protect and enjoy the environment around them.