Geography in the Revised Primary Curriculum Simon Catling

Summary of National Curriculum Geography 2000 – 1 Geographical Enquiry and Skills Using geographical questions as the foundation for structured investigation. Using mapwork, fieldwork, photographs, text reading and technological skills. Knowledge and Understanding of Places Where localities are and what they are like. How and why localities have been shaped. How localities compare to, are linked to and interdependent with other places. Knowledge and Understanding of Patterns and Processes Why location is important. What the distribution patterns of features and events helps us understand. What human and natural processes cause and how they lead to change. Knowledge and Understanding of Environmental Change and Sustainable Development How people’s decisions and actions can damage or improve the environment and affect people’s lives. Why we must work to sustain the environment. NOTE: Primary NC remains in place until 2011.

Summary of National Curriculum Geography 2000 – 2 Breadth of study (across key stages 1 and 2) Localities Studies of at least three localities, locally, elsewhere in the UK and in a less economically developed country. Places Knowing where places are and how to locate them. Awareness of places in the UK, Europe and other parts of the world. Themes About water and its effect on people and landscapes, including rivers or coasts. About the size and nature of settlements and landuse issues. About an environmental issue and sustainable environmental management. Scales At local, regional, national level.

‘Reconnecting’ the Primary Curriculum for 2011 Curriculum 2000 to 2011: Geography and history as a ‘stand-alone’ subjects in KS1 and KS2. Citizenship is optional. Schools make connections as and where they plan to. From 2011: Geography connected with history and citizenship in – Historical, geographical and social understanding. One of 6 Areas of Learning that, with RE (and the Essentials for Learning and Life), are the primary curriculum from 2011. In effect social understanding means citizenship education. A cross-curricular approach is encouraged as appropriate: strongly in KS1, with a gradual move to greater subject-based teaching towards the end of KS2.

Refreshing Primary Geography for 2011 – 1 Area and Programme of Learning: ‘Historical, geographical and social understanding’ www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/downloads/historical-geographical-and-social-understanding.pdf Importance of the Area of Learning Fires curiosity and imagination about ourselves: past,present, future; Develops deeper understanding of ourselves and others, and sense of belonging; Helps to make sense of our place in the world; Encourages investigation from local to global; Shows how communities live and work together; Shows how societies are organised and shapes by people’s values and actions; Learns about diversity, interdependence, fairness, justice, democracy; Understands how past and elsewhere today affects us and can shape the future; Learns about human impact on planet and importance of sustainability for the future; Connects Britain’s past, present, future; Vital to developing informed, responsible and active citizens.

Refreshing Primary Geography for 2011 – 2 Area and Programme of Learning: ‘Historical, geographical and social understanding’ The geographical (incorporating elements of citizenship [the social]): ‘How and why places and environments develop, how they can be sustained and how they may change in the future’; The shaping of the present by the past; change and continuity; How our sense of identity develops; How we make decisions within communities; ‘How people, communities and places are connected and can be interdependent at a range of scales’; Using enquiry and investigation; Considering, responding to and debating alternative viewpoints in order to take informed and responsible action; Using fieldwork, maps, GIS, the internet, databases.

Breadth of geographical learning Encompass local, national and global contexts (C, G, H), in studying place and space (G); Investigate a range of environments: own locality, contrasting UK locality, locality in a different country (G); Ways people, communities, places and environments have changed over time, and how they are interconnected (C,G,H); Find out about issues and take actions to improve things in their communities, and make a positive contribution to society (C); Learn about and develop informed views and opinions on local, national and global issues, including sustainability, climate change, economic inequality, and their impact on people, places and environments in the past and present (G); Develop and extend local and global links through communications and collaboration tools and technologies (C,G,H); Use fieldwork, first-hand experience and primary/secondary sources to make enquiries (C,G,H). INTERLINKING GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND CITIZENSHIP.

Developing primary geography – 1 Foundation Stage [3-5] Investigate places using all senses, as appropriate; Show curiosity and interest in exploring surroundings; Identify some features, and talk about those liked and disliked; Ask questions; Identify and look closely at some similarities, differences, patterns and change; Begin to know about own and other cultures; Explore idea of belonging to groups and communities. These are all aspects of Knowing about and understanding the world. Early Primary [5-7] Find out about physical/human features of own locality, its UK location, and how it has changed over time (G); Explore how own and others’ ways of life change with location and time (C, G, H); Note links between own locality and elsewhere, in UK and beyond (G); Investigate issues, express views and participate in decision-making activities to improve local environment or community (C, G); Use internet and simulations to find out about significant issues and events and explore distant and contrasting places (G, H, C); Recognise difference between what is fair and unfair(C).

Developing primary geography – 2 Early Primary [5-7] Find out about physical/human features of own locality, its UK location, and how it has changed over time (G); Explore how own and others’ ways of life change with location and time (H, G, C); Note links between own locality and elsewhere, in UK and beyond (G); Investigate issues, express views and participate in decision-making activities to improve local environment or community (C); Use internet and simulations to find out about significant issues and events and explore distant and contrasting places (C, G, H); Recognise difference between what is fair and unfair (C). Middle Primary [7-9] Notice how identities, cultures and communities change (C,G,H); Identify patterns in communities and places (C,G,H); Know location of significant places in UK, Europe, wider World (G); Identify similarities and differences between places and environments, and understand how they are linked (G); Appreciate relationship between physical, built and economic and social environments (G); Aware of how different ways people live around World sometimes have consequences for the environment and others’ lives, from local to global scales (G); Considers issues affecting and the impact of people’s actions on others and the environment (C).

Developing primary geography – 3 Middle Primary [7-9] Notice how identities, cultures and communities change (C,G,H); Identify patterns in communities and places (C,G,H); Know location of significant places in UK, Europe, wider World (G); Identify similarities and differences between places and environments, and understand how they are linked (G); Appreciate relationship between physical, built and economic and social environments (G); Aware of how different ways people live around World sometimes have consequences for the environment and others’ lives, from local to global scales (G); Considers issues affecting and the impact of people’s actions on others and the environment (C). Upper Primary [9-11] Distinguish fact and opinion (C,G,H); Investigate, analyse and process data on local and global issues using ICT (C,G,H); Understand a range of geographical processes that cause change in the physical and human world in different places (G); Recognise how human patterns are influenced by human and physical processes (G); Know about factors affecting weather and climate (G); Know why it is important and about ways to manage environments sustainably, now and in the future (G); Appreciate that communities and the people within them are diverse, changing and interconnected (C); Consider how people can live and work together to benefit communities (C); Address issues of concern through actions and decision-making (C); Make choices about online sources to find out about communities, locations, environments and events (C,G,H).

Key concepts in school geography Key concepts in KS1/2 [implicit] Place Space Scale Interdependence Physical & human processes Environmental interaction, impact and sustainability Cultural understanding and diversity [G, C] Learning is set out in terms of ‘themes’ and ‘contexts’, not as a list of key concepts. Key concepts in KS3 [explicit] Place Space Scale Interdependence Physical & human processes Environmental interaction and sustainable development Cultural understanding and diversity

Reflections Marked continuity with Curriculum2000, but restructured and rephrased. Moved to age-phase progression: 2-year cycle. Some adaption/change but no real reduction of geographical ‘range’. Evident encouragement and opportunity to connect geography, social awareness/ citizenship and history – encourages cross-curricular links in and beyond the AoL: KS1 integrated; KS2 increasing subject focus. Stronger focus on the human dimension and ‘dynamic’ in the AoL. Focus kept on the local scale but balanced with national and global perspectives. A core set of UK, Europe and world ‘locational knowledge’ retained. Engagement with contentious issues required: weather & climate change, economic inequality and sustainability – and their impact on people’s lives and places. Fosters enquiry [investigation] and fieldwork, and use of geographical skills. Strengthens recognition and use of ICT in life and for studies. Emphasises vitality and vital nature of this AoL. BUT Does it resolve concerns about teacher confidence and understanding in geography? Will this help tackle the curriculum balance and time concerns? Might there be greater cross-curricular work at the expense of subject recognition?