Geography

At New Monument, Geography inspires pupils to become curious about the world, the people who live in it and the environments that shape our lives. We want pupils to develop a strong sense of place, beginning with their own locality and progressively broadening their understanding of the United Kingdom and the wider world.

Our Geography curriculum is carefully sequenced from Nursery to Year 6 so that pupils build secure locational and place knowledge, an understanding of human and physical geography, and increasingly sophisticated geographical skills. Pupils learn to use maps, atlases, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping, while developing the geographical vocabulary needed to describe, compare, question and explain the world around them. 

As pupils progress through New Monument, they encounter a rich variety of places, landscapes and environments. Their learning takes them from their local area and the UK to Shanghai, Antarctica, the Amazon rainforest, the Alps, the Great Barrier Reef and the world's deserts and oceans. Through these studies, pupils explore how places are connected and consider both the similarities and differences between their own experiences and the lives of people around the world. 

We place a strong emphasis on helping pupils understand the relationship between people and the planet. They explore important geographical issues including climate change, sustainability, deforestation, food production, migration, population, renewable energy and the impact of human activity on our oceans and other environments. We encourage pupils not simply to know about these issues, but to question, think critically and consider how choices and actions can make a difference. 

Fieldwork is an important part of learning to think like a geographer. Pupils learn to observe, ask geographical questions, collect and interpret data and use evidence to reach conclusions. These skills become increasingly independent, culminating in Year 6 pupils planning and carrying out their own fieldwork enquiry. 

Above all, we want Geography to develop pupils who are knowledgeable, curious and responsible, with an appreciation of the diversity and interconnectedness of our world and an understanding of their own place within it.