Geography at Newfield Park

Geography is a valued part of the curriculum at Newfield Park Primary Academy. It teaches children a knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live and aims to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the World and its people.

Children learn key life skills such as how to draw and interpret maps, and they develop the skills of research, investigation and analysis. Through studying Human and Physical Geography, the children will deepen their understanding of the Earth.

Through their growing knowledge and understanding of the World, children gain an appreciation of life in their own and other cultures and gain a greater understanding of their roles and responsibilities as positive global citizens.

At Newfield Park Primary Academy, teachers plan Geography using the 2014 National Curriculum and 'The Key' scheme from B and C Education. This Scheme of work has been written with Geography specialists who have worked alongside the Subjects Co-ordinators and class teachers to plan a coherent, compliant, engaging and progressive curriculum that is meaningful to the children's immediate locality. This compliments our commitment to developing skills in fieldwork where we use the school grounds and the surrounding area to provide practical experiences. We also welcome a variety of visitors to school, including parents with knowledge of geographical areas of the world, to further enhance units of learning. Teacher plan half termly blocks of Geography work based on the provided scheme. This allows skills to be delivered weekly and also allows previous skills to be revised.

Foundation Stage will use guidance from the EYFS 'Understanding of the World' which is split into 3 areas: 'Personal experience', 'Diverse World' and ' Widening Vocabulary'.

In light of the new EYFS framework (Sept 2023), the children will complete a topic based upon a contrasting Non-European Country.  This will be the Gambia as this is already a strong link in our school.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork and trips play and integral part in the teaching of Geography. They are crucial in developing children’s geographical skills and provides them with opportunities for first hand experiences. Learning outside of the classroom is a key feature of Geography lessons and specific activities are mapped and planned. At Newfield Park, children have the opportunity to carry out fieldwork to support their understanding of physical and human Geography as well as developing their map skills.

Year 1 – Identify different land use around school.

Year 2 – Observe the Geography of the school and the physical features of its surrounding environment during a walk to post a letter.

Year 3 - Observe and record the physical and human features in the local area during a walk around Halesowen.

Year 4 - Observe and record the physical and human features in the local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies during a trip to Client Hills.

Year 5 - Use different types of fieldwork sampling to observe, measure and record the human and physical features in the local area during a trip to Carding Mill Valley.

Year 6 - Use different types of fieldwork sampling (random and systematic) to observe, measure and record the physical and human features in the local area during a trip to Birmingham City Centre.

Weather Station 

Here at Newfield Park, we have a weather station fitted which allows for the tracking, recording, and reporting observations of the weather. Using an app, we can see trends, patterns, and forecasts of the weather at school. This supports the children with their understanding of weather and climate and allows them to compare information gathered with other weather stations from all over the world.  

Displays and photographs