Our Geography Intent

At Manor Leas Infant School we aim for a high-quality Geography curriculum which should inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with our children for the rest of their lives. Our teaching aims to equip our children with knowledge about places and people; resources in the environment; physical and human processes; formation and use of landscapes. We want our children to develop geographical skills: collecting and analysing data; using maps, globes and aerial photographs to name and identify countries, continents and oceans; and communicate information in a variety of ways. We want our children to enjoy and love learning about Geography by gaining this knowledge and skills, not just through experiences in the classroom, but also beyond through fieldwork and educational visits.

Our geographical curriculum is developed from the National Curriculum, with knowledge and skills mapped within and across each year group to ensure systematic progression and which are revisited throughout the year. This will enable children to apply previous knowledge to new objectives, so they can know more, remember more and do more. In EYFS children are taught discrete skills and apply them in adult-led group activities, or in their independent child-initiated play. In KS1, children are taught discrete lessons and are given the opportunity to apply their skills across a range of different tasks and subjects.

At Manor Leas Infant School the children love learning about their surroundings right from the Early Years Foundation Stage. They begin by looking at their school surroundings and environment. Here they investigate areas they like and dislike and what they could do to improve their local area. Children begin to discover where their environment fits in with the wider world as they look at simple atlases and globes, describing similarities and differences between different places. 

In Year One children learn about different places, including the four countries of the UK, their capital cities and the seven continents. Children tracks seasonal weather patterns and identify physical and human features of the environment. Mapping skills are further developed, with children drawing a simple map, using maps to follow simple routes and developing a key. The children broaden their investigations into the local area, collecting data about different aspects of their environment. 

In Year Two, children build on previous learning by studying similarities and differences between where we live and a contrasting area of the world. Children use compasses, plans and photos to recognise landmarks, features and routes.