“Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future.”
Michael Palin

At Cavendish Church of England Primary School, we believe that high-quality geography teaching inspires pupils’ curiosity about the world and their place within it. Our Geography curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ knowledge of diverse places, people and environments, while equipping them with the skills needed to understand and interpret the world around them.

We follow the Kapow Primary Geography mixed-age curriculum, which provides a carefully sequenced and progressive approach to geography teaching that is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. The mixed-age curriculum is organised into Cycle A and Cycle B, ensuring full coverage while avoiding repetition and enabling pupils to revisit and deepen their geographical knowledge and skills as they move through the school.

Geography learning is planned progressively from Reception to Year 6, supporting pupils in developing both locational knowledge and place knowledge, alongside essential geographical skills. Lessons are enquiry-led and encourage pupils to ask questions, investigate patterns and processes, and make meaningful comparisons between places. Pupils develop their understanding through the use of maps, atlases, globes, fieldwork opportunities and a range of geographical data.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin to explore geography through learning about their immediate environment and the natural world, developing early spatial awareness and vocabulary. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils study a range of contrasting locations in the United Kingdom and around the world, alongside physical and human geography, enabling them to understand how environments are shaped and how people interact with them.

Teachers are supported by high-quality planning and teaching resources provided through Kapow Primary, ensuring consistency of delivery across mixed-age classes and supporting strong subject knowledge. Key geographical vocabulary is explicitly taught and revisited so that pupils can communicate their understanding clearly and accurately. Pupil understanding and progression are monitored through discussion, written outcomes, map work and retrieval opportunities, which inform future teaching and ensure that all pupils achieve well.

As a result of our Geography curriculum, pupils leave Cavendish with a secure understanding of key geographical knowledge and concepts, alongside the skills needed to interpret maps, analyse information and explain patterns and processes. They develop a growing sense of responsibility for the world around them and an appreciation of how physical and human geography shape places, lives and communities.