Meet Mrs Smith: Subject Lead for Geography
Hello! My name is Mrs Smith, and I am thrilled to be leading Geography at our school.
Why I Love Geography
My passion for the subject comes from my love of travel. Whether I’m exploring a hidden gem here in the UK or holidaying somewhere new abroad, I am always fascinated by how different and diverse our world is.
I am also a huge athletics fan! One of my favourite ways to look at the world is through the lens of sport—I love tracking where different Olympics and championships are taking place.
My Ambition for Our School
My goal is to help every child become a “Global Citizen.” I want our pupils to:
- Know their world: Understand the incredible places that exist, from our local neighbourhood to the furthest corners of the globe.
- Protect our planet: Develop a deep understanding of the environmental side of Geography, learning how we can look after our world for the future.
- Stay curious: Ask big questions about how people and places connect.
Geography isn’t just about maps; it’s about the story of our home. I can’t wait to share that adventure with you all.
Mrs Smith- Geography Lead
Our Geography Curriculum
At Bardfield Academy, our geography curriculum is planned to ensure it is knowledge rich and inclusive for every child. Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum, helping pupils gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Britain and that of the wider world, which will inspire their curiosity and fascination to know more about the world around us.
Through planned units and clear sequencing, we teach geographical knowledge, key language and vocabulary whilst developing the skills of:
- ‘Place’ – a construct that can be defined in terms of; what it is like, what happens there and how and why it is changing.
- ‘Environment’ – relates to both the land and sea. It encompasses natural and manmade actions that affect the world and helps us predict what might happen.
- ‘Space’ – the location of points, features or regions in absolute and /or relative terms and the relationships, flows and patterns that connect and / or define them.
- ‘Scale‘ – the ‘zoom lens’ that enables us to view places from global to local levels.
- ‘Interconnections’ – the nature and significance of links between features, places, events and people.
- ‘Environment’– the impact of natural and human environments.
- ‘Cultural awareness and diversity’ – this covers local and global diversity and the differences in people’s lives and their communities.
We want children to learn to ask questions, think critically, evaluate evidence, look at both sides of an argument, and develop their understanding of perspective and making judgements. In order to do this, opportunities are embedded within geography lessons, developed throughout each child’s journey of the geography curriculum, not just in the classroom, but also with the use of fieldwork, including forest school, and educational visits. We revisit previous learning throughout each unit.
The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Bardfield are equipped with geographical skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.
We want children to enjoy and love learning about geography, therefore encouraging them to undertake new life experiences now and in the future.
