Geography

At Middle Barton School we follow the Kapow scheme of work for Geography. 

Intent 

Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to become curious and explorative thinkers with a diverse knowledge of the world – in other words, to think like geographers. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to question and observe places, measure and record necessary data in a variety of ways and analyse and present their findings.

The scheme aims to build an awareness of how Geography shapes lives at multiple scales and over time. The hope is to encourage pupils to become resourceful, active citizens who will have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.

The scheme supports teachers in developing their subject knowledge and skills, enabling the delivery of engaging, well-informed lessons with confidence. The curriculum is designed to be both accessible and ambitious, ensuring all learners’ full participation and potential achievement.

Implementation

In every year group, geography is taught for half of a term alternating with history. Children will receive one geography lesson each week during that half of the term lasting for at least one hour.

Lessons are structured following the format below: 

Prior learning: to check that children have embedded knowledge from the previous learning, often from a previous year.

Revisit: recapping knowledge and skills, and addressing misconceptions from recent lessons within the current block.

New learning: introducing new concepts, skills and knowledge.

1. Attention grabber: a short, engaging activity designed to hook pupils into the new learning in the lesson.

2. Main event: The core part of the lesson, where pupils engage in activities that develop their understanding of the learning objective. This includes a mixture of teacher modelling, guided practice and independent or collaborative tasks tailored to support all learners.

3. Wrapping up: A final reflective activity that consolidates learning. This could involve reviewing the success criteria, discussing key learning or applying knowledge in a different context to assess understanding and encourage deeper thinking.

All classes will have up-to-date working walls which will scaffold children’s learning,provide children with vocabulary and model examples of work being taught. Each class will also have accessible resources such as a globe, world map and atlases to consistently aid towards children’s understanding. 

Vocabulary 

Vocabulary is purposefully planned, taught and revisited across the scheme.

Each lesson has a vocabulary section with child-friendly definitions, covering the year group’s key words and other lesson-specific words.

Vocabulary is embedded in retrieval tasks, modelling, discussions, lesson outcomes and assessment, ensuring repeated practice and secure understanding.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork provides children with hands-on experience and encourages them to apply geographical concepts to their surroundings.

Fieldwork skills do not have to be developed on school trips alone: local fieldwork opportunities can make the subject matter relevant and support teachers in fostering a sense of community and environmental awareness amongst pupils.

Fieldwork on the school grounds and the local area is an important element of the Kapow Primary Geography scheme: it is often more practical, engaging and meaningful for pupils.

Impact

Clear learning sequences ensure knowledge builds over time.

Lessons are aligned with the National curriculum.

Evidence of pupil progress

Formative 

Kapow Primary Geography lessons include ongoing assessment opportunities, such as questioning, retrieval practice and interactive activities. These enable teachers to assess understanding in real time and adapt their teaching accordingly.

Summative

Each unit provides an Assessment quiz (which we complete using Kahoot) and Knowledge catcher, which allow teachers to measure pupils’ understanding at key points. These tools help gauge how well pupils have retained key knowledge and skills over time.

Written outcomes and pupil voice show engagement, understanding and the ability to recall knowledge.