Geography

INTENT

The intent is for all learners to encounter and develop their knowledge and understanding of Geography – specifically Location, Place, Human & Physical Geography and Geographical Skills & Field Work. Our Geography curriculum provides sensory exploration of the world and encourages exploration through all senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Environmental awareness is key as it supports learners in recognising and relating experiences to different places, landscapes, and environments bridging personal connection to a students’ immediate surroundings and experiences.

The curriculum provides opportunities for communication skills (e.g., using objects, symbols, or gestures) to express geographical concepts and reacting to the environment through physical reactions. Our inclusive Geography curriculum is adaptable for pupils on any pathway and provides experiences and exposure to new concepts around knowledge and understanding of the world pertinent to the learner’s level of development.

Underpinning our curriculum are our three core values of Achievement, Equality and Independence.

IMPLEMENTATION

Geography is a functional subject which features in the daily lives and routines at Hope School and College, defining our learners’ positions and surroundings in the changing world.

Pathways ensure a creative and enriching content which focuses upon our learners’ interests whilst providing opportunities for practical skills to enable and promote independence in the future. Learners’ individual ‘Education, Health and Care Plan’ outcomes are also a key priority in relation to planning and implementation of content within lessons and experiences. Geography is explored through multi-sensory delivery, utilising three frameworks – Birth to 5 Matters, The Engagement Curriculum and The National Curriculum. Geography is delivered through a thematic approach.

In Key Stage 4 &5 Geography is delivered as an option and embedded as part of the thematic approach to ensure learners continue to learn about the world around them.

Geography is a non-compulsory option offered in Key Stage 4 for learners to adopt if they show preference of this choice.

Using objects of reference is an important part of the implementation of the geography curriculum. Geography resources are organized, categorized, and stored in accessible places appropriate for each department. Our topic boxes allow learners to explore and immerse themselves in the cultures, environments, and changes within the wider world. Items are treated with care and respect to encourage respect for other countries, cultures, and traditions.

The curriculum offers learners the opportunity to develop their understanding of their position within immediate locations and familiar places and understand how to take care of the immediate and wider environment. It provides learners with an insight into their role, and the roles of others within different groups in the community in their local environment. The curriculum incorporates learning focused on weather, seasonal changes, and climate, developing their knowledge of their locality, the United Kingdom and the wider world.

Opportunities to use maps, atlases, globes, compasses, aerial images and simple fieldwork to further their exposure to geographical skills are planned for when appropriate. All learners will be exposed to subject vocabulary/symbols through a preferred means that enables them to use their ‘voice’ across a wide spectrum – whether that is using ‘eye-gaze’ to share an interest in a new object, a physical response to stimulus, or being able to use specialised vocabulary to describe an object of reference.

The good practice shared at Hope School and College teaches our learners to respect and celebrate each other’s differences by developing an understanding of diversity beyond their immediate family experience.

Throughout school the Geography curriculum is enriched through visits to places in our locality, external school visitors, assemblies and whole school themed days and weeks e.g. Arts Week, Chinese New Year and Tour De Hope etc

The Geography curriculum ensures that learner’s gain experience and knowledge and understanding in:


Position	Caring for the Environment	Weather and Seasonal Changes	The UK	Wider Word	Human & Physical Features	Georgraphical skills & fieldwork.

Impact

The impact of our Geography curriculum is that learners will have achieved their full potential in all aspects of geographical and spatial awareness. Learners will be as independent and functional as they can be with the skills that they can utilise in life beyond Hope School and College. Observational assessment and tracking highlights learners’ responses to sensory stimuli and level of engagement regarding geographical content within sessions and thematic delivery.

Geography Rationale

At Hope School and College our Geography curriculum is designed to provide innovative opportunities to learning. Our progressive and ambitious curriculum is brought to life through immersive, multi-sensory and highly engaging learning experiences. Our Geography curriculum is planned to ensure a breath of coverage, ensuring our learners have opportunities to explore various places, features and cultures through a broad range of topics and themes.

The teaching of Geography begins with an immersive, practical or multi-sensory approach and develops and progresses in line with the development and ability of learners and their individual need. The curriculum is organised to consolidate prior knowledge, skill and understanding and to build upon what the learner already knows and can already achieve. Geography is developed as a functional subject as there are countless cross-curricular opportunities where it can be taught outside of the classroom for example within Cooking and Nutrition, PSHE and on educational visits to place of significant reference e.g. where I live. Home school relationships are built and promoted through home learning tasks, making the subject practical and relevant to our learners, encouraging collaboration between home and school.

At Hope School and College our learners have very individual needs, and we ensure that all learners are provided with equal opportunities to learn and thrive. Staff will utilise a range of equipment, technologies and resources to provide stimulating and enticing learning activities and environments that are accessible to all. Our learners may also use a wide range of communication methods, which are carefully planned and utilised within lessons ensuring that every learner has a ‘voice’.

Learners may have difficulty generalising skills to new contexts and may require repeated opportunities to consolidate a new skill in one “experience” and transfer this skill across a range of different “experiences”.  This repetition and coverage of Geography is stipulated in long term plans which ensures coverage and breadth of the topic.

By creating a positive ethos of learning, we aim for our learners to develop their confidence when sharing their subject knowledge, skills, individuality and heritage. Our Geography curriculum is highly individualised and is taught in line with the development and ability of all learners using various teaching methods dependent upon individual pathways, ultimately promoting a love for Geography.

Geography in our Early Steps Pathway

Learners following the Early Steps Pathway will follow the Birth to 5 Matters Curriculum. Teaching and learning activities incorporate and reflect the seven areas of learning –Geography features within Knowledge and Understanding the World. Learners begin to experience, explore and respond to Geography through Attention Autism Sessions, What’s in the Box, Show and Tell, Weekend News, trips within the local community, transitions around school, continuous provision areas, stories, fictional and nonfictional characters and role play. Seasonal changes are observed and explored as they occur throughout the year. Patterns and changes in weather are experienced and identified each day through conversation and morning group sessions.

Assessment within this pathway uses elements of Understanding the World within the Early Steps B Squared assessment tool.

Geography in our Complex Learning Pathway

Learners within the Complex Learning Pathway will access Geography discreetly with objectives being taken from the Attending section of the Engagement Curriculum.

Learners begin to experience and respond to Geography through enhanced learning environments, multisensory sessions, Weekend News/ Everywhere Bear, Let’s Explore…, trips within the local community, transitions around school, continuous provision areas and stories. Seasonal changes are observed and explored as they occur throughout the year. Patterns and changes in weather are experienced and identified each day through conversation, weather walks and morning group sessions.

Learners will experience Geography through immersive sensory learning, alerting their sense of;

Smell (e.g. foods, essential oils, materials, natural materials)
Taste (e.g. recipes from around the world.)
Sight (e.g. Geographical artifacts and videos)
Touch (e.g. geography artefacts, natural and manmade materials, water and sand play, items which act as day to day individual landmarks)
Hearing (e.g. weather sounds, musical instruments, songs from around the world, pre-recorded bigmacs featuring different languages).
Vestibular and proprioception (e.g. understanding their position in their immediate environment.)

Key events from around the world are planned for and celebrated throughout the year as they occur.

Assessment within this pathway is non-subject specific and is assessed using the Engagement steps B Squared Assessment Tool.

Geography in our Pre-Formal Pathway

Learners within the Pre-Formal Pathway will access Geography discreetly with objectives being taken from the Responding section of the Engagement Curriculum.

Learners begin to explore and respond to Geography through Attention Autism, What’s in the Box, Talking Tin, Show and Tell, weekend news, trips within the local community, transitions around school, enhanced learning environments, stories and role-play. Seasonal changes are observed and explored as they occur throughout the year. Patterns and changes in weather are experienced and identified each day through conversation, weather walks and morning group sessions.

Learners utilise and engage their senses to experience and explore Geography, including:

Smell (e.g. foods, essential oils, materials, natural materials)
Taste (e.g. recipes from around the world.)
Sight (e.g. geographical artifacts and videos)
Touch (e.g. geographical artefacts, natural and manmade materials, water and sand play, items which act as day to day individual landmarks)
Hearing (e.g. weather sounds, musical instruments, songs from around the world, pre-recorded bigmacs featuring different languages).
Vestibular & proprioception (e.g. understanding their position and location in their immediate environment.)

Key events from around the world are planned for and celebrated throughout the year as they occur.

Assessment within this pathway is non-subject specific and is assessed using the Engagement steps B Squared Assessment Tool.

Geography in our Semi-Formal Pathway

Learners within the Semi-Formal Pathway will access Geography discreetly or independently as appropriate, with objectives being taken from the Initiating section of the Engagement Curriculum, building upon the foundations of learning on which the pre-formal curriculum pathways are based.

Learners will continue to develop their knowledge, understanding and curiosity of Geography through a practical multi-sensory approach and will begin to recognise their role and importance in a community group. Learners directly experience Geography, engaging with artefacts, visiting special places, and listening and responding to visitors from around the world.

Assessment within this pathway uses the B Squared Assessment tool – Engagement Steps / Progression Steps 1& 2/ Steps 4 Life as appropriate.

Geography in our Formal Pathway

Learners within the Formal Pathway will build upon the learning in which the semi-formal curriculum pathways are based. Geography is taught as a discrete subject using the National Curriculum at an appropriate level. Learners will continue to develop their knowledge, understanding, curiosity, and relatability to the subject.

Learners will:

Recognise their role and importance in a community group.
Share and express their feelings and experiences.
Use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation and wonder of the world in which they live.
Prepose and raise questions.
Utilise technology for research.
View images and artefacts, and visit places of geographical importance.
Listen to songs, stories and poetry.
Engage in home-based projects and learning.

Assessment within this pathway uses the B Squared Assessment tool – Progression Steps or Steps 4 Life as appropriate.