Geography Curriculum

Intent

At Highwood, geography begins not with a map, but with a question.
Where am I? Why here? What else is out there?

We believe that geography is the bridge between curiosity and understanding—the subject that teaches children not only about places, but about people, change, fairness, and the fragile beauty of our world. Our aim is not simply to teach geography, but to nurture geographers: children who think globally, act responsibly, and see the Earth as something they are part of—not apart from.

Our curriculum intent is to:

• Inspire deep curiosity about the world—its places, people, and patterns.
• Build locational and spatial knowledge that connects the local with the global.
• Develop critical geographical thinking, including fieldwork, analysis, and map skills.
• Cultivate a sense of ethical stewardship, where children see their place as not just observers, but participants in shaping a fairer, more sustainable future.

Implementation

Our curriculum is designed as a journey: from the local to the global, from concrete experience to abstract understanding. Each year builds upon the last, weaving together human and physical geography, and underpinned by compelling questions such as “What is my local area like?”, “Why do people move?”, and “Do humans make the Earth a better place?”

The sequence is thoughtfully planned:

• In EYFS, pupils begin with what they can see and touch: their street, their school, their seasons.
• By KS1, they are comparing towns, tracing rivers, and imagining life on other continents.
• In KS2, they move into more complex terrain—migration, ecosystems, natural disasters, globalisation, and sustainability.

Our teaching is enriched by stories, immersive texts, fieldwork, visual imagery, and real-world connections. A child studying Brazil in Year 3 learns not just about its location, but about its people, its music, its rainforests—and why it matters.

We use high-quality texts (such as Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide) and visits (like zoo trips, river walks, and local landmarks) to bring learning alive. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions, to see connections, and to hold both awe and responsibility in the same breath.

Impact

The impact of our geography curriculum is visible in the way children speak about the world:
not as something distant, but as something they belong to.
They do not just name continents—they compare cultures, critique development, debate sustainability. They understand how the past has shaped landscapes, how the present is influenced by human choices, and how the future is theirs to build.

By the end of Year 6, our children are not only geographically literate—they are globally aware. They leave us with the tools to navigate an ever-changing world, and the wisdom to do so with curiosity, care, and courage.

They do not just learn geography.
They think like geographers.
And one day, they will shape the answers to the world’s most pressing questions.

geography subject overview.pdf