Geography
At Dauntsey Academy Primary School, our Geography curriculum is guided by the principles of CUSP Geography, which prioritises cumulative knowledge and the importance of connecting new learning to prior experiences.
Geography helps to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world. Pupils are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world, as well as their place in it.
At DAPS, our Geography curriculum is designed to engage young learners by developing their understanding of human and physical geographical features, particularly in Key Stage 1 (KS1). The KS1 sequence nurtures a sense of place and scale, fostering foundational knowledge about the world's seven continents and five oceans. Children study the countries and capital cities within the United Kingdom and begin to develop essential map skills, including sketch maps and the use of cardinal directions.
The curriculum incorporates fieldwork, allowing pupils to explore their local area while learning to identify human and physical features. Through studies of diverse and contrasting locations, such as Nairobi in Africa and indigenous tribes in the rainforests of Brazil and Venezuela, pupils enhance their cultural awareness and understanding of global diversity.
Utilising resources like maps, globes, and atlases, children create coherent mental models of place, distance, and scale. The introduction of OS maps and tools such as Digimap for Schools facilitates a deeper engagement with locational knowledge. As students progress, they revisit previously studied areas with increasing complexity, applying and expanding their knowledge of geographical concepts.
The curriculum is designed to ensure that teaching equips pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes.
Our pupils will develop a sense of enquiry about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives, equipping them well for secondary education and beyond.
geography one page document.pdf