Humanities

Geography

Intent

At Orchard Way Primary School our intent, when teaching geography, is to inspire our students' curiosity and fascination about the world and the people who live in it. Our aim is to foster critical thinkers, who have high aspirations and the confidence to investigate the world around them through exploration and research.

Our school’s curriculum is designed to provide opportunities to learn about diverse places, people and environments. It provides pupils with the subject specific language they need to describe, question and discuss the world, as well as their place in it. As pupils proceed through the school, they will develop an insight into the links between natural and human processes and how landscapes and environments have changed and continue to change over time.

We want the children to develop a passion for geographical learning, gaining knowledge and skills through high quality teaching both in and outside the classroom. Our curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, through their time at Orchard Way and also to their further education and beyond.

Implementation

At Orchard Way, our ambitious geography curriculum fulfils the National Curriculum requirements; we use a scheme of work as a tool to help us deliver the objectives. Our aim is to interest pupils and encourage curiosity about their own locality and the wider world. The scheme of work is coherently planned, sequenced and has rigorous progression to enable children to reach their full potential as geographers and gain the knowledge and skills they require.

Geography is taught across two half-termly units per year, for each year group. The units have key questions to encourage the use of geographical enquiry, as well as a focus on the acquisition and application of key subject knowledge, concepts and vocabulary throughout. A range of opportunities are provided to enable all pupils to communicate their knowledge and understanding of the subject. Links are made within and across units to support pupils in making connections.

Pupils learning is enriched through class visits/visitors, fieldwork and workshops inspiring pupils' curiosity and fascination about their world.

Teaching Approaches

All topics start with a ‘hook’: This includes enquiry questions, visitors, visits, objects of interest, photographs etc.
Pupils are presented with Knowledge Organisers at the start of each topic – these are stuck in their books at the start of each unit. They include key knowledge and facts that we want the pupils to remember and understand. Additionally, students stick in and complete a key word definition grid, which enhances their understanding of subject specific language.
KWL grids (Know, Want to know, Learnt) are also stuck in books. This is a study tool that is filled in prior, during and after learning a new topic. It is used as a working document to inform teachers of what the children know and address any misconceptions they may have.
Teachers frequently recap on work covered to help pupils retain key knowledge. This includes the use of quizzes.
All pupils complete ‘Key Assessment Tasks’ in every topic (linked to National Curriculum expectations). This helps inform ongoing teacher assessments of attainment and progress.
Children are given half term homework in preparation for their upcoming geography topic. This inspires and creates a curiosity for what they will be learning in class. The children’s work is displayed in the classroom for the duration of the unit of work; it can be referred to as part of consolidating the children’s knowledge and learning journey.

Impact

As a result of our carefully planned, progressive curriculum, by the end of their time at Orchard Way, our children will have a sound understanding of the world, its landforms, its places and the people within them. Through our teaching and learning of geography, our pupils have a positive view of the subject and are able to enthusiastically demonstrate their knowledge and understanding verbally and through their recorded outcomes.

At the end of each key stage, the children’s learning will be assessed against the age-related expectation bands that are based on the 2014 National Curriculum statements for Geography. At the end of the academic year, the class teacher will use their end of unit assessments to make a judgement as to whether each child is working towards the expected level, attaining the expected level or exceeding the expected level. This will be recorded on end of year reports for parents and carers.

The impact of our curriculum is measured through the following methods:

Assessing the children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
Pupil voice – how well the children have engaged with the subject.
Collaborating with other schools within the SOLA trust – subject leader meetings.
Subject leader book scrutiny, pupil interviews during learning and lesson observations.
End of unit assessments.

History

Intent

At Orchard Way, our aim in history is to create inquisitive, enthusiastic and respectful historians. We believe in igniting children’s curiosity about the past in Britain and the wider world. History enables students to develop a chronological framework for their knowledge of significant events and people. Through finding out about how and why the world, our country and local community have developed over time, children understand how the past influences the present. This, in turn, will enable them to become responsible citizens.

Implementation

The teaching and implementation of the History Curriculum at Orchard Way is based on the National Curriculum and supported by the Rising Stars Scheme of work, ensuring a well-structured approach to this subject. We follow a clearly sequenced and progressive program of study based on the National Curriculum objectives.

As a school, we follow an enquiry approach, which is a form of active learning where we focus our work around questions. This helps the children engage with their learning and results in a deeper understanding. To learn about a topic, students explore resources, ask questions and share ideas. The teacher helps students to discover knowledge for themselves by exploring, experiencing and discussing as they go.

Teaching Approaches

Each year group is taught two topics over the year, which entwines with the geography curriculum. All topics start with a ‘hook’: This includes enquiry questions, visitors, visits, objects of interest, photographs etc.
Children are given a knowledge organiser at the start of each topic. The knowledge organiser details some key information, dates and vocabulary specific to the topic being taught. This is not used as part of an assessment, but to support children with their acquisition of knowledge and is used as a reference document.
Teachers frequently recap on work covered to help pupils retain key knowledge. This includes the use of quizzes.
All pupils complete ‘Key Assessment Tasks’ in every topic (linked to National Curriculum expectations). This helps inform ongoing teacher assessments of attainment and progress.
Children are given half term homework in preparation for their upcoming history topic. This inspires and creates a curiosity for what they will be learning in class. The children’s work is displayed in the classroom for the duration of the unit of work; it can be referred to as part of consolidating the children’s knowledge and learning journey.

Impact

The history curriculum at Orchard Way is of a high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. There is a culture of high expectations where pupil’s love of history can flourish. Children will know more, remember more and understand more about history.

The impact of the curriculum is also measured in the following ways:

Pupil Voice - The most effective way to find out what pupils understand about their history will be to talk to them.

Pupils really understand a historical concept, idea or skill if they can:

Describe it in their own words;
Represent it in a variety of ways (e.g. using images, timelines);
Explain it to someone else;
See historical connections between it and other facts or ideas;
Recognise it in new situations and contexts;
Make use of it in various ways, including in new situations.

Through conversations with pupils, we are also able to understand how they learn and if they are able to connect prior learning to the learning that they are currently undertaking.

Assessment.

Teachers will use questioning and guided practice within each lesson to identify where more support and scaffolding is needed.

Children will take part in summative assessments at the end of each topic, through quizzes to review the learning, address misconceptions and assess aspects of that topic which may need to be re-visited.

Moderation.

Teachers will collaborate with other schools in the SOLA trust during subject leader and moderation meetings. Expectations are discussed with regards to history as a subject across the school.

The history subject leader will monitor the books to ensure all curriculum content is being covered in line with the school’s scheme of work. Lesson observations will also be completed throughout the year, in order to support teachers and their confidence with history as a subject.

The ultimate impact and measure of the History curriculum at Orchard Way is to ensure that our children are equipped with historical skills, knowledge and understanding that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.