🌍 Geography at High Halden Primary School

“Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future.”
— Michael Palin

At High Halden Church of England Primary School, we believe Geography is more than a subject — it’s a lens through which children can explore, understand and begin to care for the world around them. Our curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, equipping pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a globally connected and ever-changing world.

Geography helps children make sense of both the physical features and human processes that shape our planet. From exploring the local environment to investigating distant continents, pupils build their understanding of place, scale, and interconnection throughout their time at High Halden.

🌱 EYFS – Understanding the World

In the Early Years, geography is taught through the ‘Understanding the World’ area of learning. Set in a rural location, our school takes full advantage of its surroundings to introduce pupils to their immediate environment — the village of High Halden. Children begin to explore the differences between their local area and larger towns, such as Hastings, through hands-on activities and early fieldwork skills.

Children investigate simple maps, use aerial photos, draw their own plans, and take part in seasonal walks. These experiences develop early geographical awareness and lay the foundation for deeper learning in later years.

🗺️ Key Stage 1 – Exploring the UK and the Wider World

In Years 1 and 2, children extend their geographical knowledge through key topics such as:

• The seven continents and five oceans

• Weather patterns and seasonal changes

• Comparing rural and urban locations (e.g. High Halden vs. London and a Kenyan community)

• Using maps, atlases and globes

• Fieldwork in the local area, including observing physical and human features

Pupils begin to use geographical vocabulary with increasing accuracy and make thoughtful comparisons between familiar and unfamiliar places, exploring how people live differently across the globe.

🌐 Lower Key Stage 2 – Expanding Horizons

In Years 3 and 4, children revisit and deepen their geographical knowledge, particularly in:

• Regions of the UK, including counties and cities

• The water cycle and UK river systems

• Biomes and vegetation belts

• Fieldwork and map-reading using symbols, grid references and scales

• Comparing and contrasting global locations (e.g. UK vs. France, South America, and Australia)

Children explore how physical processes, such as rivers and the water cycle, shape the environment and begin to think about human impact on natural systems, drawing links with science and sustainability.

🌏 Upper Key Stage 2 – A Global Perspective

In Years 5 and 6, pupils build upon their earlier learning with more complex geographical concepts:

• Natural disasters – understanding their causes, impact and comparisons across regions

• Topography – including studies of mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes

• Human geography – population, trade, urbanisation and land use

• Comparative studies of regions such as Europe, China, and the Galápagos Islands

Pupils examine how global changes affect people and environments, using evidence and data to form opinions and propose solutions. They also consider the role of governments and sustainability in managing resources and protecting ecosystems.

🌟 Curriculum Threads and Progression

Geography at High Halden is designed to build on prior learning each year. From EYFS to Year 6, knowledge and skills are revisited, refined and applied in new contexts. This progressive model ensures that children:

• Know more: through structured content and clear objectives

• Remember more: by building connections over time

• Can do more: by applying fieldwork skills, interpreting data and communicating ideas effectively

Our curriculum is driven by real-world relevance, making purposeful links with history, science and citizenship.

🧭 Fieldwork and Enquiry

Fieldwork is an essential part of our geography curriculum at every stage. Pupils learn to:

• Observe, record and analyse geographical data

• Conduct surveys, map routes and identify features in their environment

• Use tools such as compasses, grid references and aerial imagery

• Reflect critically on the places they study and their own role in shaping the world

🌍 Our Aim

We aim to ensure that every child leaves High Halden with a deep understanding of geography’s power to explain how the world works — and how we, as its citizens, can influence its future for the better.

Here's the Geography themes that we will be covering this year: