Our vision for geography at Loughton School is to inspire all of our pupils to have a curiosity and fascination of the world around us and its people that they will want to take forward into secondary school and their wider lives. Our work in geography is predominantly concerned with the study of places, the people who live in them and the human and physical processes which occur in them. 

Throughout their time at Loughton, the children will develop their knowledge of the world, the interaction between physical and human processes and the formation and use of landscapes and environments. The journey of a geographer from year 3 to year 6 ensures that their geographical knowledge and understanding is progressive, builds on previous learning. They develop their understanding, geographical skills and be able to make connections between physical geography and its impact on humans and vice-versa.

Through high quality teaching, we develop the following essential characteristics of geographers.

• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like both in the UK and the wider world
• A comprehensive understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected.
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Fluency in complex geographical enquiry and the ability to question and present their ideas.
• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in good knowledge and understanding about current issues in society and the environment.
• A genuine interest in the subject and a real sense of curiosity about the world and its people.

For example:  

In year 3, the children consolidate their understanding of the continents, the oceans and locating and naming particular countries. During year 4, the children build on their knowledge of the UK and Europe through cross-curricular links with the Celts and the Romans. They also study volcanoes and connect this with the story of Pompeii. Year 5 sees the children build on their knowledge of the continents and their understanding of the tropics through our study of the rainforests. They learn about the human impact on the rainforests and its effect on climate change and habitat destruction. Also, during the Spring term they learn about Scandinavia and during the history unit on the Vikings about how the physical geography affected the Viking way of life. By year 6, the children do a detailed study of the Americas learning about the different topographical features. They learn about the causes and effects of earthquakes and do detailed study of their choice of South American country.

Our immersive curriculum allows the children to make connections between geography and other subjects and, with regular revisiting through the use of weekly questions, the chance to embed this knowledge. It is our aim at Loughton School to continuously build on previous learning and to extend the pupil’s understanding of the subject as they move upwards through the school and onto their secondary education.