St James's Approach:

There has never been a better or more important time to study Geography with the growing importance of issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation, spatial epidemiology and inequalities. Geography helps us to explore and understand space and place - recognising the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes and environments across the world, and exploring the links between them. We aim to provide children with knowledge about people, resources, natural and human environments, near St James’s and Twickenham.

We also strive to inspire and inform children with knowledge about diverse places around our ever-changing world. As children progress through each year group, their growing knowledge will enable them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of different landscapes.

►When children leave St James’s, their geographical knowledge, understanding and skills that will allow them to explain how the Earth’s features, both in their local area and places further away from Richmond, are shaped, interconnected and changed over time.

As their knowledge of our world grows so will their ability to challenge, question and reflect on their viewpoints. It is our wish for children to become globally aware of their impact on the planet and take responsibility for their actions.

Curriculum

How is Geography Assessed?

Concept Cards 

Each child has a ‘Concept Card’ in the front of their Geography Book. The key concepts covered relate exactly to our Progression of Knowledge and Skills documents for each year group. When a Concept is not achieved, the teacher will highlight the concept. Review tasks and teacher support are put in place to address any concepts that have not been achieved.

Progression of Skills and Knowledge

Our Progression of Skills and Knowledge documents inform our planning. The National Curriculum objectives are listed in each term and broken down into progressive steps. The objectives are mapped out for progression across the year. In Geography lessons, these objectives are broken down into microscopic steps, reflecting our mastery approach. We ensure that all of our children are secure on a step before moving onto another step.

Eco-Warriors

At St James's, we strive to enhance the children's interest and awareness of current world problems such as climate change.

During weekly meetings, we discuss various eco-initiatives and decide on the most important issues to tackle as a school. Some of the initiatives being led by our Eco-Warriors have included,  ensuring a new bug hotel was introduced to the pond area garden and reducing the daily amount of electricity we use by auditing classroom lights, screens and boards. Recently, a team of Eco-Warriors attended a conference on climate change and learned about the many ways they can make positive changes. With tree planting and many other eco-initiatives being planned for the future, the children have lots to look forward to!