We are geographers.

At Stewart Fleming Primary School, our primary goal is to spark curiosity and enthusiasm about the world, its creation, development, and the profound impact of human actions on its future. Aligned closely with the expectations of the National Curriculum in geography, we strive to cultivate a comprehensive understanding of the world we inhabit. Our aim is to instill in students a heightened awareness of the valuable lessons embedded in past geographical events and human activities, shaping the world as we know it today.

To achieve this, we offer students diverse opportunities to engage with geography through primary and secondary sources, captivating educational visits, and guest speakers seamlessly integrated into our Pioneer Passport program. Geography is intricately woven into our CUSP topics, leveraging our local area and knowledge to breathe life into the thrill of exploration. Students not only absorb geographical concepts but also learn to effectively communicate their knowledge using specialized vocabulary, maps, and honing fieldwork skills. We prioritize creating cross-curricular connections with other subjects to enhance the depth and breadth of their learning experiences.

“A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.”(National Curriculum 2014)

CUSP

We implement the CUSP Primary Curriculum to teach geography. The CUSP geography curriculum is an evidence-based, progressive framework designed to build cumulative knowledge and long-lasting memory through structured practice and retrieval.

The curriculum is built around four main conceptual pillars that connect new ideas to prior learning:

• Locational Knowledge: Finding where places exist on Earth, starting from continents and oceans in early years to specific global coordinates and regions later.
• Place Knowledge: Understanding the unique physical and human characteristics that define what a specific place is like.
• Human and Physical Geography: Exploring environmental processes, landscapes, and how people interact with their surroundings.
• Geographical Skills and Fieldwork: Training students to use maps, globes, compasses, and Ordnance Survey (OS) tools to interpret space and scale.

Overview 

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Year 1	Continents  Oceans  Countries of UK	Capital cities of UK  Seas around UK  Hot and cold places	Hot and cold places  Mapping and fieldwork
Year 2	Human and Physical features –   Local Area Study  Compare a small part of the UK to a non-European location – London and Nairobi	Compare a small part of the UK to a non-European location – London and Nairobi  Fieldwork and map skills	Fieldwork and map skills  Compare a different non-European location to our locality - Amazon Rainforest
Year 3	Fieldwork – human and physical features	UK Study	Revisit human and physical features   OS Maps and Scale
Year 4	Rivers  Latitude and longitude	Latitude and longitude  Water cycle	Rivers revisited Map skills – environmental regions
Year 5	World countries – biomes and environmental regions	4 and 6 figure grid references	OS Maps and fieldwork
Year 6	Physical processes – earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes	Settlements  UK, Europe and North America   comparison study	UK, Europe and North America   comparison study  OS Maps and fieldwork (orienteering)

Teaching and learning

CUSP Geography resources contain a wealth of evidence-led materials to support excellent teaching and long-term learning.  

Geography in EYFS

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), geography skills are taught through knowledge and understanding of the world. They observe, find out about, and identify features in the place they live and the natural world. They find out about their environment, and talk about those features they like and dislike through exploration and investigation.