At Ratby, our Geography curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity and fascination about the world and its people, while developing children into knowledgeable, skilled and reflective geographers. We aim to foster a lifelong love of the subject by providing pupils with rich and varied opportunities to learn about diverse places, people, cultures and resources. Through the study of physical and human geography and the processes that shape our world, we seek to develop a sense of awe and wonder, alongside a strong understanding of pupils’ place within local, national and global contexts.
Our curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, carefully sequenced to ensure that substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills are built progressively over time. A strong emphasis on the local area provides a meaningful context for learning and enables pupils to make connections between their immediate environment and contrasting locations across the world. Through this, we aim to enhance pupils’ cultural capital and prepare them for future learning beyond Ratby.
The Geography curriculum is coherently structured around the following key strands:
- Locational Knowledge
- Human and Physical Geography
- Fieldwork
- Map and Compass Skills
Knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary are explicitly taught and revisited regularly to support pupils in retaining and applying what they have learned. Teachers carefully consider how new learning builds upon prior knowledge, ensuring that pupils develop secure understanding and confidence over time. Lessons are designed to be engaging, purposeful and appropriately challenging, enabling all learners to access the curriculum and achieve well.
Enquiry-based learning is central to our approach, encouraging pupils to ask questions, investigate and think critically about geographical issues. Fieldwork opportunities are deliberately planned and make effective use of the school grounds and local area, including the ford on Burroughs Road. These first-hand experiences enable pupils to deepen their understanding of geographical processes and develop a strong sense of identity, place and heritage.
Geography is further promoted through the work of our Geography Ambassadors, who support the visibility and status of the subject across the school. They contribute to displays, events and initiatives that celebrate Geography and encourage pupils to engage with the subject beyond the classroom.
By the end of the Geography curriculum at Ratby, pupils will have developed a secure body of geographical knowledge and a well-established set of skills that enable them to think and work like geographers. They will:
- Have a strong and growing knowledge of the world and their place within it.
- Use an increasingly rich and accurate geographical vocabulary to explain their understanding.
- Demonstrate curiosity and aspiration to learn more about the world through reading, travel and the media.
- Confidently express their views and opinions, understanding that their voice matters.
- Apply key geographical skills, including enquiry, analysis, evaluation, creativity and problem solving, across the curriculum and in real-life contexts.
As a result, pupils leave Ratby well prepared for the next stage of their education, equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to engage with the world around them as informed and responsible global citizens.
Geography Lead
Victoria Toon
