Application

The achievement and attainment in geography of pupils at Shrubland Street is generally good, and this is something that is rapidly improving. Children are introduced to geographical principles very early - in the Early Years curriculum as part of their thematic approach, where emphasis is placed on the children’s immediate surroundings to develop a sense of place. In KS1, children further develop their sense of place and location by taking part in a study of their local area (see Appendices 3 and 4), which is then developed by studying a contrasting locality, such as a seaside location.

A1 Knowledge (GLP A1) Key indicator: Pupils have good knowledge, appropriate for their age, of where places are and what they are like. E.g.

places and contrasting localities at relevant scales of enquiry, UK - global.

KS1 children use iPads to explore maps of the local area. (A2, A3, L3)

KS1 children go on a walk around the local area to spot physical and human features. (A2, A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L3)

In KS2, there is a clear progression of geographical skills and knowledge that develops pupils’ understanding of global locations, including knowledge of continents, physical features, how humans interact with the environment as well as how locations in the world are interdependent. Children engage with a curriculum that has a strong sense of location as well as finding out what places are like, and what is happening to these places i.e. environmental issues (see Appendix 6).

A1 Knowledge (GLP A1) Key indicator: Pupils have good knowledge, appropriate for their age, of where places are and what they are like. E.g.

places and contrasting localities at relevant scales of enquiry, UK - global.

Year 3 and 4 children use atlases and physical maps to locate continents and mountain ranges around the world. This unit of work began by looking at mountain ranges in the UK. We then talked about mountain ranges that the children knew about as they were from, or had travelled to, different countries around the world, making the learning relevant to the experiences of the pupils (see Appendix 7). (A2, A3, T1, T2, L3)

A Year 5 and 6 display of geography-based enquiry writing (see Appendix 6). The children explored the use of the Amazon Rainforest, its physical features and the how the environment is changing through human interaction. (A2, A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L1, L3)

A2 Skills (GLP A2)Key indicator: Geographical enquiry and skills: fieldwork, mapwork, critical thinking and the use of ICT; are used to

support achievement in geography

KS1 and KS2 children use a range of ICT to support their learning in geography. Netbooks and iPads are used for research, presentation and using interactive maps, data loggers are used to allow children to carry out enquiry and investigative activities and interactive whiteboards are used to support both teaching and learning in the classroom (see Appendix 8).(A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L1, L3)



Year 5 and 6 children on a fieldtrip to the local river to investigate the difference of the velocity of the river on a straight and on a bend (see Appendix 9).(A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L1, L3)



Year 4 children practising using compasses to develop their directional skills.(A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L1)

Year 3 and 4 children exploring ordnance survey maps of the local area to develop their knowledge of map symbols and keys (see Appendix 10).(A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L1)

KS2 children using physical maps to develop their understanding of patterns in landscapes.(A1, A3, T1, T2, B1, B3, L1)

Pupil attitudes towards geography is overwhelmingly positive, and this is something which has rapidly improved this academic year. At the beginning of the school year, in October 2013, a series of pupil interviews revealed that the children valued geography, were enthusiastic about their learning in this area, and could see the relevance of this subject to their lives. However, it was clear that as a school we did not do enough hands-on, real-life fieldwork activities to engage our children with geography, as this was something that nearly all children who were interviewed mentioned that they would like to do more of. As such, this was an area that the whole school decided to be an area of development this year. A second set of pupil interviews done in April 2014 showed that the children had an increased understanding of geography, as well as more developed geographical skills (see Appendix 11). The KS1 children were particularly enthusiastic about their fieldwork in the local area, and expressed excitement about learning about different environments. They also were able to talk about their use of maps and how this might develop in the future, as well as how they are now able to identify human and physical features in the local environment. This is a solid foundation of geographical knowledge to support progress when they move into KS2.

Lower KS2 children were able to talk about their growing knowledge of the world and physical processes, their growing geographical vocabulary and their ability to name and locate important physical features around the world. They also discussed their use of the different types of maps they have used i.e. physical. Upper KS2 children were able to discuss their developing geographical skills such as exploring the effects of the environment on people, such as flooding, how humans interact with physical features, and their developing map reading skills. One pupil commented that he wouldn’t have been able to take part in the orienteering activity on a recent school residential to Manor Adventure. The older pupils in the school were very positive and articulate about geographical skills being life skills that they will need in many real-life situations. These very positive attitudes that the children have developed during their time at Shrubland Street will prepare them very well for their transition to secondary school and will support further progress that they will make.

One of the after-school clubs we run is ‘All Around the World’, which promotes geographical knowledge and skills that support the progress they make within and between stages of learning. This club has been running throughout this academic year, and has been very well attended (at least 15 children every week).(A1, A2, T1, T2, B1, B2, B3, L1, L3)

A3 Values and attitudes (GLP A3)Key indicator: Pupils' positive attitudes towards geography support progress within and between stages of learning. E.g.

to the next year group, key stage, school.

Manor Adventure residential for upper KS2 children, runs every two years, so all children have the opportunity to go on this trip during their time at Shrubland Street.



Orienteering and outdoor pursuit activities develop pupils’ positive attitudes towards geography as they interact with the environment and develop positive and collaborative behaviours and relationships. (A1, A2, B1, B3, L3)

Dunfield House residential for KS1 runs every year, so all children have the opportunity to go on this trip during their time at Shrubland Street.



Den-building and outdoor activities allow KS1 children to interact with the environment and develop positive attitudes towards geography.(A1, A2, B1, B3, L3)

The subject leader takes responsibility for ensuring good subject knowledge, and is proactive in keeping up-to-date with current geographical issues, and encourage children to do the same; on the school website is an area with links to websites which talk about geography in the news. Renewing our school membership to the Geographical Association has helped with this, as does the regular email updates and issues of Primary Geography. We have used ideas from these publications, for example we used the key text of The Bog Baby as part of our ‘Amazing Discoveries’ theme; this was a text the subject leader saw in the Spring edition of Primary Geography magazine.

This year at Shrubland Street, with an increased focus on geography key skills, children have had lots of opportunities to develop their core geographical knowledge of the world. Children have access to a range of maps, atlases and ICT to support their learning of the world around them. With a large focus in the new curriculum, of locational knowledge, children’s knowledge of places and locations in the world has developed significantly this year.

Children have many opportunities for practical geography where they interact with the environment and learnt about the world around them, such as residential trips to Manor Adventure, France, Dunfield House, fieldwork visits in the local area, or in the school grounds.

Our children have a developing curiosity about the world, are able to ask questions, make observations about human and physical features, and use sources to answer their questions.

T1 Knowledge (GLP T1) Key indicator: Teaching is underpinned by good subject knowledge. The teaching of core geographical knowledge

underpins children’s learning about the world.

Why does the environment look like this?

What physical features are there?

What sources could I use to answer my questions?

What plants and animals might there be?

What effect have humans had on the environment?

T2 Skills (GLP T2)Key indicator: Teachers apply their skills through effective pedagogy and 'curriculum - making' to provide relevant and

effective content.

Having attended the Outstanding Teaching and Learning course as a whole staff at Manor Primary School, we have a very good knowledge of effective pedagogy of all curriculum subjects. We have regular staff meetings where we share examples of good practice and talk about what teaching and learning methods we will try next. We as a whole staff, see the value in keeping things fresh, and using effective pedagogy that engages and challenges pupils at all levels.

In terms of geography, we have staff meetings to discuss the mapping of our curriculum, led by the subject leader, while giving all staff opportunity to have a say in what they feel is relevant subject content for our children to learn and experience. Our children are at the heart of what we plan, making sure that all geographical based enquiry and subject content are pertinent, effective and valuable for our children, based on their previous experiences. (T1, T3)

Children are encourage to keep abreast of current geographical issues in the news, and where possible, we incorporate current issues in the classroom.

A recent example would be the flooding that occurred this Winter/Spring. There was localised flooding within our region, mostly in the rural areas. As Year 5 and 6 were studying rivers for their geography work, it fitted in very well to our topic. We researched and explored what caused the flooding, how people and the environment are affected, and what could be done to prevent it, or minimise damage in the future. The pupils were very engaged by this, as the majority of the pupils had dome first-hand experience of flooding, which we used as a basis for our discussions (see Appendix 12).(A1, A2, A3, T1, T3, B1, L1, L3)

T3 Values and attitude (GLP T3)Key indicator: Teachers enjoy the subject and convey high expectations: assessment is valued as an essential tool in

planning and monitoring pupils’ progress.

All teachers have high expectations of children in all curriculum areas; classroom and corridor displays are evidence of this, with excellent examples of high quality pupil work on display that promotes self-esteem and gives all children a high standard to aspire to.

I love seeing my geography work up on the wall. I want to make my next piece of work even better.

Examples of high quality classroom displays of geographical learning.



In the last two years, we have moved towards a more skills-based curriculum. In doing so, we have been supported by Chris Quigley success criteria. As a staff, we feel this is a valuable tool for ensuring coverage and progression of skills when planning, as well as providing us with clear criteria for assessing pupils’ progress and attainment. We use geographical skills as a success criteria for the children, allowing them to see what skills they are working on, as well as their next steps. It is whole-school practice to present the relevant lessons’ success criteria to children at the beginning, or during a geography lesson. This is then used for pupil self and peer assessment, and has proved to have a very positive impact upon pupil achievement and progress, as it is a tool that empowers children to take ownership of their own learning and to see what their next steps are. Pupil interview responses (Appendix 11), show how confident children are in talking about how well they are doing in their geography learning, and how the targets and success criteria have impacted upon their metacognition.

Seeing the success criteria every lesson helps me achieve the best that I can. I always want to challenge myself to achieve the top level.

I use the success criteria to assess my own learning. Then I know how well I’ve done and what I need to do next.



At present, individual teachers carry out informal assessments at the end of a unit, with children’s work being assessed against the Chris Quigley success criteria, which correspond to National Curriculum levels. At the end of the year, a formal summative assessment is made on the pupils’ attainment and progress, which is communicated to parents via the end of school year report, and is passed onto the receiving teacher for the following year. These assessments are then used to inform future planning to ensure all pupils are given opportunities to develop their skills based on their relative starting points.

A comprehensive assessment programme in geography is still something which is in development, and is being tried out by the subject leader. We wish to create a set of levelled target sheets which cover both geographical skills and geographical knowledge and understanding, which will be used in pupil exercise books as a record of achievement against the relevant targets. We have a similar system in place for literacy and numeracy, where children are fully involved in setting and ticking off their own targets. We hope to roll out this system for geography assessment in time for September 2014. Please see Appendix 13 for examples of these assessment grids.

B1 Knowledge (GLP B1)Key indicator: Geographical knowledge promotes positive relationships and behaviours.

Every year we have a day of Divali workshops that the children take part in. We then put together a celebration assembly that parents and carers are invited to in order to see what we have been learning. Local Indian catering companies have been invited in to share some food with us. It is a wonderful day that everyone looks forward to each year. The wide range of workshops promotes children’s knowledge and understanding of different cultures, and encourages children and adults to work collaboratively together. Due to the growing diversity of our school community, it is our intention to change the format of our annual ‘Divali Day’ in order to include more of the cultures represented by our children and parents. (A1, T1, T2, B2, L3)

Samosa making

Parents come in and help with the Mendhi workshops

Punjabi script workshop

Indian snack time – provided by a local Indian sweet shop

Mendhi story – making a Mendhi bush

B2 Skills (GL B2)Key indicator: Geographical skills promote a better understanding of difference and diversity

At Shrubland Street, we have a very diverse school community, with a wide range of countries and cultures represented (see Appendix 14). Whether it be during whole school assemblies, or during class time, we are proud of our diverse community and take every opportunity to celebrate the varied backgrounds of our pupils. We promote acceptance and understanding of difference and diversity, and we believe that children’s developing geography skills are a tool that allow them to do so.

A key geographical skill is to recognise how places compare with other places, which includes identifying similarities and differences (see Appendix 15). Having opportunity to develop this key skill is vital in gaining a better understanding of difference and diversity. We regularly use the relative starting points and different experiences of our pupils as points of reference for developing this very skill.

KS2 children explored the traditions and customs of Christmas celebrations in different European countries. Children who were from non-English origin shared their experiences with the class, and we discussed similarities and differences. Here is an example of pupils’ work comparing traditions in the UK with Polish culture. (A1, A2, T1, T2, B1)

B2 Skills (GL B2)Key indicator: Geographical skills promote a better understanding of difference and diversity

Every two years, upper Ks2 have the opportunity to go on a residential trip to France, where they get to experience first-hand a different culture. Children are encouraged to use their language skills, to interact with the locals; they buy items in local shops and markets; they visit a farm (including a snail farm), and they have opportunity to make croissants. (A1, A2, A3, B1, B3, L1, L3)

It’s interesting to find out what people in other countries eat. I didn’t like the snails though!

B3 Attitudes and values (GL B3)Key indicator: Pupils develop self esteem through genuine opportunities for participation in applied geography.

KS2 children take responsibility for planting and caring for our school vegetable garden. In doing so, they learn about land use and sustainable food growth, as well as how to improve our school environment. (A2, A3, T2, B1, B2)

Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to be able to grow their own food. I know there are places where there is not enough rain.

Using these planters to grow fruit and vegetables will improve the school environment because the rainwater will be put to good use.

B3 Attitudes and values (GL B3)Key indicator: Pupils develop self esteem through genuine opportunities for participation in applied geography.

The school council play an active role in the development of the school environment, in particular the use of the outside area.

The school council decided that due to there being no grass area in our playground, not enough rainwater made its way back into the ground. They thought that this was not good for the environment, so they decided to install water butts to store rainwater for use on our vegetable garden. (B1, L1, L3) The school council decided that as a school, we

needed to reduce our waste in order to help the environment. One way of doing this was to install compost bins, where pupils could put their fruit waste at break-time.(B1, L1, L3)

We can use the compost on our vegetable garden to make them grow better!

Using water from here will save us turning on the taps to water the vegetables.

At Shrubland Street, our geography coverage is not always delivered as a discrete subject. We have a thematic curriculum, where we have whole school themes that change every half term. The planning of foundation subjects is done so that the subject content is related, where possible, to the whole school theme. Humanities is particularly adaptable, and as such geography and history skills are very closely tied together. We feel that it is important that our pupils are aware of how these two subjects compliment each other, and often within single lessons, children will develop both historical and geographical skills. Our school policy (see Appendix 16) is a detailed account of how geography fits into our wider curriculum and has been reviewed in light of the new 2014 curriculum.

As a whole school staff, we also share the vision that geography can be a tool for developing other areas of the curriculum. A good example would be the literacy work Year 6 did on rivers. This was their geography topic during a recent half term, and in their literacy lessons, they used their geographical knowledge and vocabulary to write poetry (see next page).

Other examples of geography enhancing other curriculum areas is art. In a recent art unit, Year 4 created islands using a range of materials. To begin with, they looked at the physical and human features they might find on an island, and then planned, designed and created them.

Year 4 artwork based on islands. They worked collaboratively in teams to create their finished pieces. (A1, A2, A3, B1, B3, T1, T2, L1)

I know that volcanoes, trees and rivers are physical features that might be on an island. Humans might use the water to wash in and to cook with, and they might make a shelter in a cave.

L1 Attitudes and values (GL L1)Key indicator: The school has a good knowledge of how geography supports global learning and the wider curriculum.

There is a `vision’ for geography that is helping to shape the way that the subject is taught and which acknowledges that we live in a global, interdependent world.

Also, a recent text that was used to support our thematic curriculum was The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis. This provided lots of opportunities to relate our learning to geography, with all classes going pond dipping to the local high school. This featured in the Spring edition of Primary Geography.(A1, A2, A3, B1, B3, T1, T2, L1)



We went pond dipping to search for bog babies. We have been learning about animal habitats. You shouldn’t take animals from their habitats!

Year 6 Literacy display on River Poetry. (A1, A3, T1, T2, T3, L1)

It was fun to be able to use our geography words in our other work.

My river poem wouldn’t have been as good if I didn’t know all of the technical vocabulary.



Visiting art specialist taught an Indian art workshop during a Year 3 topic on India. The children explored tribal culture and traditional artwork before producing their own similar pieces of art. (A1, A2, A3, B1, B3, T1, T2, L1)

I love learning about how different people around the world live. This art shows us lots of things about their lives.



This year, the bronze application has made a clear focus for the development of geography within the school. The subject leader was new to the role in September and as such, has wanted to have a real impact this year. The school already has in place whole-school monitoring strategies for all curriculum subjects, which are carried out once a term. We have in place a RAG system (Red/Amber/Green) where book trawls are carried out and the books are given a colour to indicate how well embedded specific criteria are being carried out. Appendix 17 shows a clear indication of the progress that has been made in humanities since Autumn 2012/2013, and the subject leader sees this as a very positive step forward in our geography provision.

In addition to the existing whole-school monitoring system, this year the subject leader has conducted planning trawls of other phases to ensure that planning indicates a clear skills-based sequence, and which incorporates adequate opportunity for fieldwork skills to be developed. Where this has not been evident in planning, the subject leader has held meetings with the individual teachers to discuss the progression of geographical knowledge and skills. The subject leader has also conducted two rounds of pupil interviews this year (see Appendix 11).

At the request of the subject leader, a CPD course was attended this year in order to prepare for the new curriculum. This proved to be a valuable course, and key information was subsequently passed on in a staff meeting. A resource audit was also carried out during the year, and a wish-list is currently being compiled for new resources for September to support the new curriculum.

L2 Skills (GL L2)Key indicator: The SL demonstrates good leadership skills; Subject monitoring, Targets, CPD needs, Resource provision,

Transition within and beyond the school.

There are many ways in which we promote and value geography within the school and wider community. At Shrubland Street, we highly value and encourage the support and involvement of parents in their children’s education.

A recent example of this is our ‘Shrubland Street Easter Egg Hunt’. We asked parents and carers to donate an Easter egg, and then used these as prizes in our geography quiz. Each week for four weeks, every child in the school was sent home with a set of 20 geography questions. Each set of questions covered a different theme including the UK, Europe, physical geography of the world, and human geography of the world. Children and parents were encouraged to work together to answer the questions and return them to school. Each week a draw was made and at least 10 children won an Easter egg. There was a very positive parental response, and at least 80 children took part in each round. One parent commented on how much she and her child enjoyed sitting together, and talking about the questions and searching the internet together for any answers they didn’t know (see Appendix 18).(A1, A3, B1)

L3 Skills (GL L3)Key indicator: Geography is valued within the school. It enhances other curriculum areas and whole school initiatives. It

engages parents, community groups and other organisations locally and globally.

This year has been a very busy year for the development of our geography. Plans are being put in place for a timetable of activities for Geography Awareness Week in November 2014. However, as we are so keen to promote geography skills, in particular map skills, it is our intention to try out some of the activities in June 2014.

Flyer sent out to parents to promote the geography-themed Easter Egg Hunt.



Our main geography half termly theme is ‘Our World’. During this half term, parents and carers are invited to come into school on an open day. Pupil guides take visitors around the school, showing them the range of work on display, as well as visiting individual classrooms. Visitors are given question sheets for each classroom, which they use as a tool for engaging with pupils to find out about their learning. Our pupils are extremely proud of their work and their achievements, and are always very keen to speak to visitors about their learning. Our open days happen once a term, and is always exceptionally well-attended by parents and carers. It is a fantastic opportunity to promote high expectations of geography within the school to pupils and parents.(A3, T3, B1, L1)

An example of high quality Year 3 and 4 geography work on display for parents to see. (A1, A2, A3)

Well done to the staff and children – we can see they work hard.

The children were so enthusiastic about their learning.

It’s fantastic that the children learn about such a diverse range of cultures.



In the last two years, Shrubland Street has re-established a partnership with a school called BDEC Messima in Bo, Sierra Leone. As part of this, we took part in an event called ‘The Day of the African Child’ with the 11 other Bo partnership schools. We also had a visit from a gentleman called VV, who is head teacher at a school in Bo. Since we have re-established the link, we have received letters from the children at our link school and we have also sent some back to them. We hope to be in contact at least four times a year and send regular packages. (A1, T2, B1, B2, L1)

I’ve really enjoyed communicating with the children in Bo because it’s fun to find out what schools are like in other countries, and other continents!

Year 6 pupils ask visiting head teacher, VV about his life back in Bo.

A corridor display celebrating our link with Bo.

A visiting African dance specialist teaches Year 3 a traditional African dance to perform for VV, our visiting head teacher from Bo.

Education

Application