Geography
At Gainsborough, we believe that geography plays an important role in helping children understand the world around them and their place within it. Through geography, pupils develop a strong connection to their local area while also exploring places, people, cultures and environments beyond their immediate experience.
Our geography curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people. Pupils develop an understanding of both human and physical geography and explore how people and environments influence one another. By studying a diverse range of localities across the world, children develop an appreciation of different cultures, traditions and ways of life, while recognising the similarities that connect us as global citizens.
We place a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ sense of identity and belonging. Children are encouraged to understand their own local community and heritage while learning about the experiences and perspectives of people from different backgrounds and cultures. This helps pupils develop respect, empathy and an understanding of the diverse world in which they live.
Our geography curriculum also encourages pupils to consider their responsibility towards the environment. Through learning about sustainability, climate, natural resources and human impact, children are encouraged to think critically about how we can contribute to a more sustainable future.
Where appropriate, geography learning is enriched through carefully chosen educational visits and wider curriculum opportunities. These experiences allow pupils to apply their geographical knowledge in meaningful contexts and deepen their understanding through first-hand experiences. Reading texts and written outcomes are also linked, where possible, to geographical themes and locations, enabling children to encounter new places, people and perspectives through literature as well as through their geography lessons.
Implementation
Early Years
In the Early Years, geography is taught through the Understanding the World area of learning. Children are supported to make sense of their physical environment and the community in which they live through carefully planned provision and first-hand experiences.
Children explore their own environment, including their home, school and local community. They develop an awareness of places that are familiar to them and begin to notice similarities and differences between environments. Through stories, books, photographs, role-play, visits and discussion, children are introduced to people, places and cultures beyond their immediate experience.
Children are encouraged to explore, observe and ask questions about the world around them. They have opportunities to investigate their local area and develop the language needed to describe what they see, supporting the foundations of geographical enquiry.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, pupils develop a secure understanding of their local area and the wider United Kingdom before extending their learning to places around the world. They study a range of human and physical geography topics and begin to make meaningful comparisons between different environments and communities.
Each geography unit is centred around a key theme which provides a clear focus for learning. Pupils develop their geographical vocabulary and demonstrate their understanding through a range of activities and outcomes at the end of each unit.
Geographical skills are developed progressively. Pupils begin to use maps and digital mapping tools to describe locations, identify features and explore routes. They develop an understanding of scale and begin to use geographical language to describe their surroundings.
Practical learning is an important part of our geography curriculum. Children have opportunities to investigate their local environment, observe weather and seasonal patterns and collect information that can be used to support their classroom learning. They also begin to explore ideas around sustainability and the ways in which human activity can affect our environment.
Teachers use carefully sequenced medium-term plans to ensure that knowledge and skills build progressively. Lessons provide regular opportunities for purposeful talk, enabling pupils to develop their geographical vocabulary and explain their thinking.
Reading is closely connected to geography wherever possible. Children encounter stories, non-fiction texts and other sources linked to the places and themes they are studying. Written outcomes provide opportunities for pupils to apply geographical vocabulary and communicate their understanding clearly.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, pupils broaden their geographical understanding by studying a range of locations across the world’s continents. Through these studies, children explore the distinctive physical and human characteristics of different places and develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the relationships between people and environments.
Learning is organised around key geographical concepts including location, place, human geography, physical geography and sustainability. Revisiting these themes across different locations allows pupils to build increasingly secure and connected knowledge.
Pupils explore topics including natural disasters, climate, settlements, land use, tourism, deforestation and global warming. They consider the impact of human activity on environments and examine how physical processes can affect communities. Importantly, pupils are encouraged to consider different perspectives and recognise that people around the world experience geographical issues in different ways.
Map skills continue to develop throughout Key Stage 2. Pupils use atlases, globes and digital mapping tools, alongside compass directions, grid references and increasingly detailed maps. They use these skills to locate places, interpret information and communicate geographical findings.
Curriculum trips and wider learning opportunities are carefully selected to complement classroom teaching. Across the curriculum, reading and writing are used to deepen geographical understanding. Where possible, pupils read texts connected to the locations, cultures and geographical issues they are studying. Written outcomes give children opportunities to explain, describe, compare, analyse and communicate their geographical knowledge using increasingly precise subject vocabulary.
Impact
Our geography curriculum enables pupils to develop a secure understanding of the world and their place within it. Children become increasingly confident in using geographical vocabulary, interpreting maps, carrying out fieldwork and explaining both human and physical processes.
Pupils develop an appreciation of the diversity of people, cultures and environments around the world. They understand that places are constantly changing and begin to recognise the responsibilities that individuals and communities have in creating a more sustainable future.
History
Intent
At Gainsborough, we believe that history is fundamental to helping children understand who they are, where they come from and how the world around them has developed. Through studying the past, pupils develop a stronger sense of identity and belonging and gain an appreciation of the experiences, achievements and challenges of people from a wide range of cultures and communities.
Our history curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils develop a coherent understanding of Britain’s past and the history of the wider world. Children learn about significant people, events and civilisations and explore how societies have changed over time.
As pupils progress through the school, they increasingly work as historians. They ask questions, investigate evidence, consider different perspectives, identify change and continuity, explore cause and consequence and develop their own interpretations of the past.
A key feature of our curriculum is the breadth and diversity of the histories pupils encounter. We want children to recognise that history is made up of many different voices and experiences. By learning about different cultures, communities and individuals, pupils develop respect for others and a deeper understanding of both their own identity and the diverse society in which they live.
Where possible, history is brought to life through trips, visitors, workshops and other wider curriculum experiences. These opportunities allow pupils to engage directly with historical places, artefacts and sources and provide meaningful contexts for their learning.
Reading is an important part of our history curriculum. Pupils encounter high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts linked to the historical periods and people they study. Where appropriate, writing outcomes are also connected to history, enabling children to demonstrate their knowledge while developing their ability to communicate ideas clearly and effectively.
Implementation
Early Years
In the Early Years, children’s understanding of history develops through the Understanding the World area of learning. Pupils begin to develop an understanding of the past by talking about their own lives, their families and people who are important to them.
Children explore the concepts of past and present through everyday experiences, photographs, objects, stories and discussions. They observe changes over time, including changes in themselves, their families, the natural world and their surroundings.
Stories and books introduce children to characters, events and settings from the past and provide opportunities to compare different ways of life. Children are encouraged to ask questions, talk about what they notice and begin to use language associated with time and change.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, pupils study a range of history topics informed by the National Curriculum. Topics are carefully selected to provide pupils with a broad understanding of the past and to reflect the diverse communities and experiences that make up our society.
Each unit has a clear key theme which guides the sequence of learning and encourages pupils to develop historical understanding through enquiry. Children develop their use of historical vocabulary and demonstrate their knowledge through a range of outcomes.
Pupils are supported to develop a chronological understanding through timelines and regular reference to the position of key events and people within the wider historical narrative. They learn to distinguish between past and present and develop an understanding of how life has changed over time.
Children investigate significant events, individuals and developments, considering similarities and differences between different periods and ways of life. They begin to understand that historians use a range of evidence to find out about the past, including objects, photographs, written sources and other artefacts.
Historical sources are used to encourage children to ask questions and make observations. Pupils begin to recognise that sources provide clues about the past and that different sources can provide different perspectives..
History is further supported through reading and writing. Pupils encounter carefully selected texts linked to their historical learning and have opportunities to write for a range of purposes, using historical vocabulary and evidence to demonstrate their understanding.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, pupils develop a more detailed and chronologically secure understanding of British, local and world history. They explore significant periods, civilisations and events and make connections between different aspects of the past.
History learning is developed through key concepts including government, empire, culture and belief. These concepts are revisited across different topics so that pupils gradually develop a deeper understanding of how societies were organised and how people lived, thought and interacted.
Pupils explore questions relating to change, continuity, cause, consequence, similarity, difference and significance. They increasingly understand that our knowledge of the past is constructed from evidence and that historians must carefully examine and interpret sources.
Our curriculum includes the study of significant periods and civilisations from Britain and around the world. Pupils explore the Stone Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Victorians, alongside ancient civilisations such as Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece and significant events including the First World War. Local history is woven into this learning wherever appropriate, enabling pupils to understand how national and international events affected their own community.
Impact
Our history curriculum develops pupils who are curious about the past and increasingly confident in thinking and working as historians. Children develop a secure chronological understanding and are able to make connections between historical periods, people, events and places.
Pupils learn to question evidence, consider different perspectives, identify change and continuity and use evidence to support their ideas.
Through studying a diverse range of people, cultures and civilisations, pupils develop a stronger sense of their own identity while gaining respect and understanding for the identities and experiences of others.
Curriculum Map
To view an overview of our Humanities curriculum, view our Curriculum Map below: