1. SCHOOL POLICY FOR:- Geography

Responsible person:- Mrs. M. Nicol

Date adopted: 8.11.95

Date amended: May, 2002 Review by: Spring Term, 2003

2. HOW THE POLICY DEVELOPED

This policy was written to outline the teaching and learning of Geography across our school. It follows an audit and review conducted during the Spring Term, 2002.

3. HOW IT RELATES TO THE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The School Development Plan indicates that Geography will be subject to a light review during the spring term, 2003.

4. INTENTIONS

Windmill School understands Geography to be about the study of places and the people who live in them.

We intend to provide a balance of aspects across the units of work in each Key stage to cover:

· Geographical enquiry skills

· Knowledge and understanding of places

· Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes

· Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development.

Places Themes Skills.

Windmill School intends to use enquiry questions to lead Geography teaching across the school. We find that these enquiry questions give purpose and direction. All the work in Geography has to have relevance to the children both as members of their local community and the global community.

Enquiry questions will lead to:

· A second set of investigative questions

· Asking geographical questions (reflective thinking)

· Collecting and recording evidence (creative thinking)

· Analyzing evidence

· Identifying and explaining different views - critical thinking

· Communicating

- selecting and using information from a variety of sources

- measuring and recording

- interpreting information from maps and plans

- making and using maps and plans at a variety of scales

- using photographs, including oblique aerial photographs

- using atlases, globes and simple instruments

Places to be studied:

- the locality of the school

- a contrasting locality to the U.K.

- a distant place.

Themes to be covered:

- the quality of the environment in a locality

- rivers/mountains

- weather

- settlement

- environmental change.

Windmill School intends to:-

- equip its teachers with up-to-date knowledge, skills and understanding of contemporary geography

- help staff provide all pupils with teaching and learning experiences that will meet National Curriculum requirement

- ensure the relevance of cross-curricular activities.

Pupil Entitlement

Pupils at Windmill School will be notionally taught Geography for 36 hours per year at KS1 and 45 hours per year at KS2.

5. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

We aim to help pupils develop geographical knowledge and understanding and to introduce pupils to geographical enquiry.

We aim to provide a Geography curriculum which:-

- recognises that pupils have their own experiences and knowledge of the world

- gives pupils concrete experiences outside the classroom

- gives pupils access to a wide range of visual materials including pictures, artifacts, maps and data, with resources that are accurate and up-to-date

- uses maps in the context of study of a real place encouraging pupils to develop an understanding of scale

- encourages pupils to look for patterns in distribution in space and to ask questions about these patterns

- encourages pupils to look for relationships between people and places

- teaches pupils to use a range of ways to describe the world e.g. specialist vocabulary, maps, diagrams and models

- demonstrates the integration of skills, themes and real places

- provides enquiry - based activities, where pupils are looking for issues, ask questions, formulating hypotheses and testing them against evidence.

6. PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teachers should plan a range of structured activities to ensure that pupils can interpret information and assimilate knowledge. They will use a range of resources in a variety of forms maps, films, photographs, diagrams, written texts and I.C.T. through which pupils can study real places and learn appropriate skills and techniques.

Windmill School will encourage pupils to learn through first hand experience using field study, practical activity, experimentation and a variety of school, local and regional, environments.

Appropriate resources will be available to ensure that pupils have access to other information.

7. EQUAL ACCESS AND OUTCOME

All pupils will have equal access to the Geography curriculum, regardless of race, gender and social circumstances. Children with special educational needs, whether intellectual or physical, will have full access to all aspects of Geography wherever possible. Where appropriate support staff will be involved.

Field Trips.

- if there are limited places available, or a high cost is involved (e.g. Residential trips) then places will be allocated on a first come/first served basis. Provision will be made for those children still at school during the time of the trip.

Differentiation.

- using an enquiry based approach, teachers will differentiate tasks within their classrooms according to the ability of the pupils. It is recognised that children will progress at different rates, but all will have their achievement recognised and celebrated.

Multi-cultural.

- when looking at a 'Distant Place', teachers need to be aware of cultural and ethnic areas of potential sensitivity and of course, will use, as always, a positive approach to other cultures

- if there is a pupil from another culture involved, it would be very helpful to encourage positive links with their ethnic backgrounds, where possible.

8. HEALTH AND SAFETY

Staff will take extra care in outdoor environments and all field trips will be ratified against the Windmill School Education Trips Policy, to ensure the safety of all pupils.

Staff will ensure safe and proper handling of all materials and resources, and pupils will wear appropriate protective clothing where necessary.

9. IMPLEMENTATION

The National Curriculum Guidelines/Strategies (KS1 and 2) document provides the structure for the development of the school's schemes of work. The schemes of work will indicate the places selected to be studied and the key learning objectives for the pupils, from which the activities will be planned.

Within a variety of visits associated with each unit are two residential trips:

- Year 4: three day visit to Poole, Dorset

- Year 6: five day visit to the Isle of Wight

Cross curriculum links

It is recognised that Geography has links in particular with Science, History and Mathematics.

Communication and reporting arrangements

The curriculum leaders role will be to:-

- prepare a Scheme of Work

- support all members of staff

- monitor and evaluate work throughout the school

- organize and order all resources

- keep up-to-date with modern thinking in Geography

- liaise with outside agencies for training and information purposes

- arrange Geography working party meetings, according to needs

The class teachers/year partnerships will:-

- prepare medium term plans in line with National Curriculum documentation and the curriculum map

- assess the work in progress of pupils in Geography (See Windmill School's A.R.R. Policy)

10. CONTINUITY AND PROGRESSION

Our Long Term Map lays out what we intend to teach within Geography and when.  Assessment is continuous and based upon the National Curriculum Programme of Study for Geography.

11. RESOURCING

The Geography Subject Leader will prepare an inventory of resources and will be responsible for the purchase of all new resources. Staff will be informed and familiarised with new resources as they are acquired. Each year group will be issued with the relevant packs and extra resources (atlases, globes, fieldwork instruments etc.) will be available from the central resource area. This equipment will be monitored by the Subject Leader. It will be the teachers' responsibility to ensure that the resources used are maintained to a high standard.

12. REPORTING

The progress of each child will be monitored and reported to parents in the Windmill annual School Report as in accordance with the school's A.R.R. policy.

All members of staff will have the opportunity to discuss and review the reporting arrangements for geography.