At Corsham Regis, we have devised a creative curriculum that allows the children’s key skills to be developed and implemented across the subjects. A theme is shaped through both the teachers’ and children’s creative ideas, allowing and encouraging the children to have an input into and control over what they want to learn.

Geography is included in this fantastic curriculum.  Children are taught a range of skills through a variety of activities.  These skills are met throughout their school years and develop according to the children’s ability.  They encourage expansion of the children’s knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes, environmental change and sustainable development.

In Foundation Stage, the children undertake a wide range of activities which help them to develop their understanding of the world around them. This includes observing and asking questions about aspects of their familiar world, such as the place where they live or the natural world; talking about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects; talking about why things happen; developing an understanding of changes over time; showing an interest in different occupations and ways of life and looking closely at their local area and discussing what they like and dislike about it.

During Key Stage 1, pupils investigate their local area and a contrasting area in the UK or abroad, finding out about the environment in both areas and the people who live there. They also begin to learn about the wider world, through exciting and enjoyable activities, such as looking at maps, atlases, globes and online resources to:  investigate the countries and capitals of the United Kingdom and the world’s continents and oceans; explore weather and climate in the United Kingdom and around the world; they are encouraged to use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to and describe key physical and human features of locations. Fieldwork and observational skills are also developed through using simple compass directions and aerial photographs.

During Key Stage 2, pupils continue to develop their enquiry skills, investigating a variety of people, places and environments across the UK and abroad. They need to locate the world’s countries, with a focus on Europe, North and South America and countries of particular interest to pupils; identify key geographical features of the countries of the United Kingdom, and show an understanding of how some of these aspects have changed over time; locate and understand the significance of the geographic zones of the world; understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region or area within the United Kingdom (different from that taught at Key Stage 1), a European country and North or South America; describe and understand key aspects of:

     • physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers,   

       mountains,  volcanoes and earthquakes and the water cycle

     • human geography, including: settlements, land use, economic activity including trade  

       links and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and

       water supplies.

Children will use: maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied; the eight points of a compass, four-figure grid references, symbols and keys (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build knowledge of the United Kingdom and the world; a wide range of geographical sources in order to investigate places and patterns; fieldwork skills to observe, measure and record the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.

Both Key Stages carry out geographical enquiry inside and outside the classroom and this is often linked to visits in the neighbourhood.

International links:

We continue to include international links within our curriculum wherever possible, and the children already are very international, as they are learning how to speak French and Spanish. All this work has resulted in Corsham Regis being awarded the International Schools Award at Intermediate Level. Previously, we have linked ourselves with a secondary school in China and a primary school in Spain, where we have a shared some letters and artwork and Skyped them, to further develop the communication between our two cultures.