Our Approach 

In our school, the geography curriculum is brought to life as children uncover answers to important questions about our world. Through exploration and practical experiences, children learn to observe carefully, make comparisons and think about the world around them. Our approach immerses children in activities that show how geographers think as they investigate their own environment, as well as landscapes, oceans and communities from around the world.

Our geography curriculum is carefully sequenced so that knowledge, skills and vocabulary are revisited and built upon across year groups, allowing children to deepen their understanding as they move through the school.

Key geographical knowledge is revisited and reinforced over time, including through the use of songs, stories and repeated language, which supports memory, confidence and long-term retention.

Teaching Tools

What makes geography so exciting? 

Purposeful fieldwork in geography involves hands-on, experiential learning activities that are carefully tailored to children’s developmental stage and understanding. Examples include:

• Nature walks, exploring trees, plants, flowers, insects and other wildlife. Children learn about key concepts such as plants and seasons through direct observation.
• Using maps that represent familiar places such as the classroom, school grounds and the local area. Children identify key features and develop early navigation skills, spatial awareness, and an understanding of physical and human features.
• Community visits and local fieldwork, including short visits to nearby places of interest such as The Patch and the local high street.
• Weather observations, both in the classroom and outdoors, where children observe daily weather conditions such as temperature and rainfall.
• Access to globes, maps and atlases in every classroom.

The geography curriculum also intertwines with other subjects, particularly science.

Supporting all children

At Hassocks, we believe our Geography curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. All children take part in hands-on, engaging activities that make learning tangible and meaningful. The curriculum is designed to be flexible, ensuring that every child can achieve and have opportunities to share their understanding with others.

Learning is adapted in a variety of ways to support all pupils. Teaching staff use the West Sussex OAIP, which outlines practical strategies and adjustments to meet individual needs, helping every child succeed and feel proud of their learning journey.

Assessment

We use observational assessment to capture pupils’ individual responses, which reflect their geographical understanding and their ability to use subject-specific vocabulary effectively. Observations take place throughout the day through talk and play, both indoors and outdoors.

Children’s learning journeys are tracked through Tapestry or in their geography books. These are used to guide our ‘Remind Me’ conversations, where children talk about their learning, reflect on prior knowledge and build meaningful links over time.

Pupils’ books also track the process of answering key ‘big questions’ and support ongoing discussion about learning and understanding.

Above and Beyond 

Sustainability, global responsibility and cultural diversity are key aspects of our geography curriculum.

Each year group takes part in Planet Protector missions supported by our elected eco-councillors, which support our school in reducing waste and recycling more. Through these activities, children learn to care for the environment and develop an understanding of their collective global responsibility.

In Year 1, children visit a local area known as 'The Hassocks Community Veg Patch', where they observe seasonal changes and explore the diversity of plants and wildlife, as well as both physical and human features, across the year.

In Year 2, children participate in a fundraiser for our partner school in Madagascar. They send letters and pictures, ask questions to a visitor from the Madagascar Development Fund and deepen their understanding of global connections and inequality.

Diversity

Geography enables our children to learn about life for people all over the world. Our curriculum encourages children to explore and compare their own locality with places across the globe, considering geographical features, cultures and ways of life.