Our Geography Curriculum

At Great Steeping Primary School we follow Kapow Primary's mixed-age geography curriculum. 

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.

 

Curriculum Progression

The National curriculum organises the attainment targets for Geography under:

  • Locational knowledge.
  • Place knowledge.
  • Human and physical geography.
  • Geographical skills and fieldwork.

Kapow Primary’s Geography curriculum has been planned with these strands running through each unit, ensuring balanced coverage of the different areas of Geography and both substantive and disciplinary knowledge.

Geography skills and knowledge are developed to support pupils in reaching the key stage outcomes as outlined in the National curriculum.

New learning is weighted toward the start of each key stage, allowing ample opportunity for it to be revisited and applied in later years. As a result, knowledge accumulation may look heavier in some year groups than others.

Kapow Primary’s Geography scheme has been designed as a spiral curriculum with the following key principles in mind:

  • Cyclical – pupils return to the key knowledge and skills again and again during their time in primary school.
  • Increasing depth – each time a skill is revisited, it is covered with greater complexity.
  • Prior knowledge – pupils build upon previous foundations rather than starting again.
Click to Download Geography Long Term Plan [pdf 34KB] Click to Download

What does a geography lesson at Great Steeping look like?

A geography lesson at Great Steeping contains the following elements:

Flashback (recall and recap)

Each lesson begins with a short activity revisiting prior learning. This helps reinforce key knowledge, activate long-term memory and create connections between past and new learning.

Recap and recall activities are varied to keep the start of the lesson engaging and fun while still supporting active recall.

Learning Question / Attention grabber

A short, engaging activity designed to hook pupils into the new learning in the lesson.

This could be a thought-provoking question, a quick investigation or an interactive discussion to spark curiosity and enthusiasm for the topic.

Learning (Main event)

The core part of the lesson, where children 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.

Wrapping up (plenary)

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.

The order and amount of time spent on these different aspects of the lesson will vary dependent on the lesson’s place in the sequence of learning and teacher assessment.

Adaptations for pupils with SEND

The Kapow Primary Geography scheme of work is designed to be fully adaptable for pupils with SEND. Every lesson includes an adaptive teaching section, providing clear guidance on how activities can be modified to meet the needs of all learners.

Scaffolding – activities are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing for additional support or challenge where needed.

Multi-sensory approaches – lessons incorporate different elements to engage all learners.

Clear instructions and structured tasks – ensuring clarity and reducing cognitive load for pupils who benefit from additional support.

Opportunities for collaborative and independent learning – allowing pupils to work at their own pace while building confidence and independence.

By embedding adaptive teaching throughout, the scheme ensures that all pupils, regardless of their starting points, can access and succeed in their learning.

In addition, the step-by-step curriculum design supports pupils with SEND, avoiding sudden jumps in complexity at transition points and allowing for steady, manageable progression.

Impact

The impact can be assessed through both formative and summative assessment of pupils.

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 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.