Kirkstall Valley Primary School

Geography at Kirkstall Valley Primary: Curriculum Statement

 

1. Curriculum Intent: Values & Ambition

 

At Kirkstall Valley Primary School (KVPS), our Geography curriculum is designed to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with our pupils for the rest of their lives. We do not view Geography as simply labelling maps; it is a rigorous discipline that explores the relationship between the Earth's physical processes and the human societies that inhabit it.

Our curriculum is underpinned by our three core school values:

●      Courage: We challenge our pupils to grapple with complex global issues, from the climate crisis in the Amazon to the ethics of global trade, encouraging them to become courageous advocates for the planet.

●      Compassion: We foster empathy by exploring the lived experiences of diverse communities—from the bustling streets of Nairobi to the rural farmers of Ancient Egypt—challenging stereotypes and celebrating our shared humanity.

●      Commitment: We are committed to fieldwork and enquiry. We get children out of the classroom to investigate their local area, committing to the belief that geography happens out there, not just in books.

 

The "Golden Threads" (Substantive Concepts)

 

To ensure knowledge is cumulative, we have identified key Second-Order Concepts that recur and deepen from Year 1 to Year 6:

●      Place & Location: (e.g., My School -> Leeds -> The UK -> Europe -> The World).

●      Human Interaction: (e.g., Farming in Ilkley -> Tourism in Italy -> Deforestation in Brazil).

●      Physical Processes: (e.g., Seasonal weather -> The Water Cycle -> Tectonic Plate movement).

●      Scale: (e.g., Local -> National -> Global).

●      Sustainability: (e.g., Recycling in KS1 -> Renewable energy & Conservation in UKS2).

2. Context & Rationale: Why This Curriculum?

 

Our geography curriculum is bespoke to KVPS. It has been carefully crafted to address the specific demographic and geographical context of our school.

1. Leveraging Our Location (The Aire Valley)

Kirkstall is a geographically rich resource. We use our immediate surroundings as a living laboratory.

●      Implementation: In KS1 (KVPS Through Time), children map the school grounds. In LKS2 (Our Island Home), they conduct land-use surveys of the industrial and residential areas of the valley. In UKS2, they connect local industrial history to the physical geography of the River Aire.

2. Broadening Horizons (Cultural Capital)

Many of our children have limited opportunities to travel beyond Leeds. Our curriculum is designed to transport them to contrasting localities.

●      Implementation: We study The Seaside (Filey) in KS1 to provide essential coastal experiences. We study Italy in LKS2 to introduce European culture and The Amazon in UKS2 to understand global ecosystems.

3. Validating Diverse Identities

With a diverse student body, it is vital that our geography curriculum reflects the heritage of our families without resorting to stereotypes.

●      Implementation: Our KS1 unit on Africa explicitly challenges the "single story" of poverty by exploring the vibrant city life of Nairobi alongside rural traditions. We teach that Africa is a continent of 54 unique countries, validating the identities of our African heritage pupils.

 

3. The Journey: From EYFS to Key Stage 3

 

Our curriculum follows a spiral structure, revisiting skills with increasing complexity.

Early Years: Understanding the World

Geography begins in EYFS through "Understanding the World." Children explore their immediate environment, observe seasonal changes, and begin to recognise that other places (e.g., through stories/safari topics) are different from Leeds.

Key Stage 1: Local to Global Basics

We build the foundational "Mental Map" of the world.

●      Year 1: Focuses on the immediate locality (KVPS) and the comparison between Urban Leeds and Rural West Yorkshire (On the Farm).

●      Year 2: Expands horizons to the UK Coast (Filey) and the wider world (Africa), securing the knowledge of Continents and Oceans.

Lower Key Stage 2: The UK & Europe

Children develop rigour in map skills and understand hierarchies of place.

●      Year 3/4: They master the geography of the UK (Counties/Regions) and Europe (Italy), moving from pictorial maps to Ordnance Survey symbols and 4-figure grid references. They explore the vital link between Rivers and Civilisation (The Nile).

Upper Key Stage 2: Global Systems & Debate

We move to complex physical processes and global interdependence.

●      Year 5/6: Children grapple with "Invisible Geography"—tectonic plates (Extreme Earth) and biomes (The Amazon). They use 6-figure grid references and analyse climate data. They debate complex human issues like deforestation and urbanisation.

Readiness for Key Stage 3

We prepare pupils for secondary geography by ensuring they are:

●      Cartographically Literate: Confident with atlases, OS maps, and digital mapping (GIS).

●      Data Ready: Able to interpret climate graphs and population data.

●      Conceptually Secure: Understanding the difference between "Human" and "Physical" geography, ready for the KS3 study of Ecosystems and Development.

 

4. Implementation: Pedagogy & Inclusion

 

Fieldwork First

Geography is a practical subject. We ensure every year group undertakes fieldwork, from simple observation in Year 1 to comparative land-use surveys in Year 6.

Vocabulary & Oracy

We close the vocabulary gap by explicitly teaching Tier 3 geographical terms (e.g., 'tributary', 'hemisphere', 'urbanisation', 'topography'). We use sentence stems to help children articulate geographical reasoning (e.g., "I know this is a rural area because...").

Adaptive Teaching

●      Visuals: High-quality aerial photography and video clips are used to make distant places concrete for SEND/EAL learners.

●      Scaffolding: Writing frames and vocabulary banks support children in explaining complex processes (like the water cycle) without lowering the cognitive challenge.

 

5. Impact

 

The impact of our curriculum is that KVPS children are Global Citizens. They know exactly where they are in the world—from their street in Kirkstall to their continent. They understand how the world works, how humans affect it, and they leave us equipped with the knowledge and empathy to protect it.

Kirkstall Valley Primary School

Geography at Kirkstall Valley Primary: Curriculum Statement

 

1. Curriculum Intent: Values & Ambition

 

At Kirkstall Valley Primary School (KVPS), our Geography curriculum is designed to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with our pupils for the rest of their lives. We do not view Geography as simply labelling maps; it is a rigorous discipline that explores the relationship between the Earth's physical processes and the human societies that inhabit it.

Our curriculum is underpinned by our three core school values:

●      Courage: We challenge our pupils to grapple with complex global issues, from the climate crisis in the Amazon to the ethics of global trade, encouraging them to become courageous advocates for the planet.

●      Compassion: We foster empathy by exploring the lived experiences of diverse communities—from the bustling streets of Nairobi to the rural farmers of Ancient Egypt—challenging stereotypes and celebrating our shared humanity.

●      Commitment: We are committed to fieldwork and enquiry. We get children out of the classroom to investigate their local area, committing to the belief that geography happens out there, not just in books.

 

The "Golden Threads" (Substantive Concepts)

 

To ensure knowledge is cumulative, we have identified key Second-Order Concepts that recur and deepen from Year 1 to Year 6:

●      Place & Location: (e.g., My School -> Leeds -> The UK -> Europe -> The World).

●      Human Interaction: (e.g., Farming in Ilkley -> Tourism in Italy -> Deforestation in Brazil).

●      Physical Processes: (e.g., Seasonal weather -> The Water Cycle -> Tectonic Plate movement).

●      Scale: (e.g., Local -> National -> Global).

●      Sustainability: (e.g., Recycling in KS1 -> Renewable energy & Conservation in UKS2).

2. Context & Rationale: Why This Curriculum?

 

Our geography curriculum is bespoke to KVPS. It has been carefully crafted to address the specific demographic and geographical context of our school.

1. Leveraging Our Location (The Aire Valley)

Kirkstall is a geographically rich resource. We use our immediate surroundings as a living laboratory.

●      Implementation: In KS1 (KVPS Through Time), children map the school grounds. In LKS2 (Our Island Home), they conduct land-use surveys of the industrial and residential areas of the valley. In UKS2, they connect local industrial history to the physical geography of the River Aire.

2. Broadening Horizons (Cultural Capital)

Many of our children have limited opportunities to travel beyond Leeds. Our curriculum is designed to transport them to contrasting localities.

●      Implementation: We study The Seaside (Filey) in KS1 to provide essential coastal experiences. We study Italy in LKS2 to introduce European culture and The Amazon in UKS2 to understand global ecosystems.

3. Validating Diverse Identities

With a diverse student body, it is vital that our geography curriculum reflects the heritage of our families without resorting to stereotypes.

●      Implementation: Our KS1 unit on Africa explicitly challenges the "single story" of poverty by exploring the vibrant city life of Nairobi alongside rural traditions. We teach that Africa is a continent of 54 unique countries, validating the identities of our African heritage pupils.

 

3. The Journey: From EYFS to Key Stage 3

 

Our curriculum follows a spiral structure, revisiting skills with increasing complexity.

Early Years: Understanding the World

Geography begins in EYFS through "Understanding the World." Children explore their immediate environment, observe seasonal changes, and begin to recognise that other places (e.g., through stories/safari topics) are different from Leeds.

Key Stage 1: Local to Global Basics

We build the foundational "Mental Map" of the world.

●      Year 1: Focuses on the immediate locality (KVPS) and the comparison between Urban Leeds and Rural West Yorkshire (On the Farm).

●      Year 2: Expands horizons to the UK Coast (Filey) and the wider world (Africa), securing the knowledge of Continents and Oceans.

Lower Key Stage 2: The UK & Europe

Children develop rigour in map skills and understand hierarchies of place.

●      Year 3/4: They master the geography of the UK (Counties/Regions) and Europe (Italy), moving from pictorial maps to Ordnance Survey symbols and 4-figure grid references. They explore the vital link between Rivers and Civilisation (The Nile).

Upper Key Stage 2: Global Systems & Debate

We move to complex physical processes and global interdependence.

●      Year 5/6: Children grapple with "Invisible Geography"—tectonic plates (Extreme Earth) and biomes (The Amazon). They use 6-figure grid references and analyse climate data. They debate complex human issues like deforestation and urbanisation.

Readiness for Key Stage 3

We prepare pupils for secondary geography by ensuring they are:

●      Cartographically Literate: Confident with atlases, OS maps, and digital mapping (GIS).

●      Data Ready: Able to interpret climate graphs and population data.

●      Conceptually Secure: Understanding the difference between "Human" and "Physical" geography, ready for the KS3 study of Ecosystems and Development.

 

4. Implementation: Pedagogy & Inclusion

 

Fieldwork First

Geography is a practical subject. We ensure every year group undertakes fieldwork, from simple observation in Year 1 to comparative land-use surveys in Year 6.

Vocabulary & Oracy

We close the vocabulary gap by explicitly teaching Tier 3 geographical terms (e.g., 'tributary', 'hemisphere', 'urbanisation', 'topography'). We use sentence stems to help children articulate geographical reasoning (e.g., "I know this is a rural area because...").

Adaptive Teaching

●      Visuals: High-quality aerial photography and video clips are used to make distant places concrete for SEND/EAL learners.

●      Scaffolding: Writing frames and vocabulary banks support children in explaining complex processes (like the water cycle) without lowering the cognitive challenge.

 

5. Impact

 

The impact of our curriculum is that KVPS children are Global Citizens. They know exactly where they are in the world—from their street in Kirkstall to their continent. They understand how the world works, how humans affect it, and they leave us equipped with the knowledge and empathy to protect it.