Geography is essentially about understanding the world we live in. It helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world.
At Rugby Free Secondary school children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it. The geography curriculum enables students to develop knowledge and skills that are transferrable to other curriculum areas.
Geography Statement of Intent 2024-25
Our mission is to ensure that all students value and enjoy their humanities subjects. They enjoy well planned, engaging lessons which ensure that all make strong and sustained progress. Students will be offered a curriculum which is academically rigorous but also helps them to develop into confident and well-rounded young people.
Intent
Geography is fundamental to a student’s education. It inspires a sense of awe and wonder and instils a respect and appreciation of diverse places, cultures, people and resources. Bringing together the complex interrelations of the human and physical world, the study of Geography is invaluable in addressing the challenges we face today. Geography is continuously evolving, and therefore we endeavour to offer a rigorous and responsive curriculum that supports the cultivation of curious and kind learners.
Implementation
We provide a carefully sequenced and knowledge rich Geography curriculum that allows for the progressive development of students understanding of geographical concepts and skills. From Year 7 through to eventual A Level, students will hone in on concepts such as cause and effect, management, sustainability and conflict whilst developing skills such as drawing and reading graphs, reading maps and photo analysis.
Our curriculum comprises a balance of human and physical Geography. Students study a range of systematic units, as well as a regional unit in Year 7 and 8. Each student is provided with a visual curriculum map to ensure they are aware of their learning journey. We want our students to be curious about the world around them. To encourage this, each unit begins with an enquiry question. Throughout the unit, students become equipped with the knowledge and skills required to answer this question. This guides the lesson sequence and allows us to measure the impact of our curriculum.
Without a strong starting point, it is impossible to measure progress effectively. Therefore, every student completes a baseline assessment at the beginning of Year 7. We have a large number of feeder schools so it is important to gain an understanding of what a student knows and can do, as well as any gaps in their learning. This information is then used to inform the scaffolding and level of challenge required in the first unit, Where in the World. This unit focuses on the concept of scale and provides students with a grounding in geographical skills as well as knowledge of place.
Concepts and skills are continuously revisited, but in a more challenging capacity. For example, in Year 7 students are introduced to the concept of development early on in year 7 this concept is a thread throughout the KS3 course and revisited in topics such as natural hazards, and population in year 9. By revisiting concepts in different contexts, students can begin to make connections and develop their schema.
Every subject is communicated through its own unique language. Our curriculum develops student’s disciplinary literacy by providing opportunities to read and actively engage with challenging geographical texts. Some examples include extracts from Prisoners of Geography and Factfulness, as well as a range of articles, policy documents and fiction texts. We encourage students to strengthen their oracy when discussing and presenting ideas, and provide explicit vocabulary instruction to support students in accessing and using geographical terminology.
Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction (2012) and Doug Lemov’s Teach like a Champion (2014) strategies are employed to develop our teaching practice in Geography. We ensure students retain knowledge by interleaving learning. This leads to improved knowledge retention and allows students to make connections between concepts and ideas. Retrieval practice is used in every lesson in the form of Do it Now Activities (DIN) to ensure students are constantly reviewing their learning and addressing misconceptions. Within the DINs, students are given a challenge question which is used to stretch students beyond pure knowledge. We provide guided practice through the ‘I, We, You’ method and show call students work to maximise accountability and build resilience.
Students develop independence throughout key stage 3, 4 and 5. Initially at KS3 students are given independent activities through revision lessons and homework. This foundation is developed throughout KS into KS4 and 5, to become a normal part of the learning process.
Impact
Formative and summative assessments are carefully planned and implemented to monitor progress and address misconceptions. At KS3, every unit has a mid-term and end of unit assessment. Here, students are assessed on their ability to recall and apply key knowledge and skills. Prior learning is continuously assessed in the form of retrieval practice to ensure knowledge retention. Probing questions are also used to instantly check understanding and deepen thinking. Key assessments are marked in line with the FAR policy. Whole class feedback is used to address misconceptions and highlight areas for development and model answers are used to showcase good practice.
By the time students leave RFSS, they will:
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Have secure knowledge of where places are and what they are like
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Have respect and appreciation of diverse places, cultures, people and resources
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Have an understanding of the complex interrelations of the human and physical world
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Be able to express well-balanced opinions and support, evaluate and challenge the opinions of others
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Be able to plan, conduct and evaluate fieldwork collaboratively using geographical skills and techniques
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Be passionate about Geography and continue to be curious about our ever changing world.
