"Geography is a subject, which holds the key to our future" - Michael Palin

Intent

At Leyland Methodist Schools, we believe that the teaching and learning of Geography should shape the future of our generation.

We want children to develop a sense of awe and wonder about the world around them, the diversity of places and people, and at how the natural and physical world effect each other. Our Geography curriculum aims to build confidence in exploration, spark curiosity and desire to know more about the world and develop an appreciation for our environment. We intend to nurture children's love for the world in which they live and we aim to develop the skills and knowledge they need to understand what they see in their own locality and beyond.

Children will acquire a rich knowledge of the natural and human world around them, through the exploration of volcanoes and earthquakes to extreme weather; the seas and oceans to water cycles; their local area to Andalucia and Mexico. They will make connections and comparisons as they journey through our curriculum and will bring together their knowledge to discover how our world connects us all.  

Our children will use a range of maps, atlases and globes to develop their locational knowledge of the world’s continents, oceans, countries and other features studied. They will learn how to use a compass, four and six figure grid references, symbols and keys in order to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world.

Geography and the National Curriculum

Our Geography curriculum has been designed to cover the statutory requirements laid out in the National Curriculum Programme of Study while at the same time fostering and promoting the interests of OUR children at Leyland Methodist Schools. We have carried out a thorough curriculum needs analysis to give us a clear idea of the different types of amazing learners that we have here in Leyland, and then we have then used this information to create a curriculum that meets all of their requirements.

At Leyland Methodist Schools, we are now proud to offer a progressive, skills-based, knowledge-rich Geography curriculum that provides a hands on learning approach which develops life-long skills. A curriculum that is underpinned by our core values of "Love, Serve, Celebrate, Together".

We go outside, we explore, we navigate our surroundings; reading maps and interpreting symbols, we compare localities and analyse similarities and differences, we are inquisitive and we respect the world around us.

Cultural Capital

In addition to the National Curriculum objectives, the Geography curriculum at Leyland Methodist Schools is enriched with a range of extra-curricular activities designed to enhance the learning experience of our learners and increase their cultural capital. These enrichment opportunities include:

• Trips within the local area e.g. Learning Walks to Worden Park and other areas of Leyland;

• Trips beyond the local area e.g. field work in The Lake District;

• Inviting visitors into school e.g. United Utilities who run workshops focused on the water cycle;

• Researching community and charity work, linked to our ongoing support of the Bethany Family in Tanzania;

• Showcasing and celebrating our learning through Pop-Up Parent Projects where parents are invited into school to complete Geography based challenges.

Diversity

Diversity is something we embed within our everyday practice as we "Love, Serve, Celebrate, Together ". However, we as a school recognise that Geography can be used as a platform to further support diversity.

The EYFS curriculum fully immerses children in a variety of topics. This gives them opportunities to embed, empathise and engage with other cultures and traditions. Learners are able to articulate their understanding about the locality that they live in and begin to ask questions about the world beyond Leyland. 

The KS1 and KS2 curriculum have units that specifically focus on  comparing places within United Kingdom, Europe and South America. To further enhance our teaching of Geography and support diversity, using a broad range of literature including stories and poems from other cultures. 

School Council would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported our wonderful 'All We Can' charity, helping to send aid and support to those who truly need it!

A few members of our Eco-Council were kindly invited to the grand opening of our local park - we really enjoyed celebrating this lovely new addition to our community that some wonderful people have worked really hard for! 

Humanities Realm