FRIS Geography Curriculum

Our world is a wonderful, fascinating and exciting place that is worth protecting! At FRIS, we strive for all children to develop a curiosity, passion and care for the people and places around our planet. 

During their time at FRIS, pupils are given the opportunity to conduct structured fieldwork in our school building and grounds, our local village of Birkdale, our local town of Southport and our nearest city, Liverpool. We ensure that children are provided with regular opportunities to compare and contrast different localities, finding similarities and differences and talking about them using geographical vocabulary. 

Children leave FRIS with a secure understanding of key human and physical geography features, as well as a knowledge of the four countries and capital cities of the UK, the five oceans and seven continents - being able to identify these features and places on a range of physical and digital maps. 

Elements of our Eco-Schools programme are interwoven into the Geography curriculum to ensure children know how we can all make a positive contribution to the long-term health of our planet.

Curriculum Intent

The FRIS Geography curriculum is designed to promote curiosity, engagement and interest in our local area and wider world. It empowers our children to become independent and resilient geographers. Our ambitious curriculum not only meets the EYFS Framework and Key Stage 1 National Curriculum requirements, but it also enables pupils to actively engage in memorable fieldwork activities that will develop their cultural capital and prepare them for Key Stage 2.

Fieldwork forms a vital part of our EYFS 'Understanding the World' and Key Stage 1 Geography curriculum. Before visiting Knowsley Safari Park (EYFS), Chester Zoo (Year 1), Birkdale/Hillside (Year 1), Southport (Year 1) and Liverpool (Year 2), children explore a range of maps, satellite images and photographs. During our fieldwork, pupils increase and develop their understanding of human and physical geography features. We take advantage of our coastal location to visit Southport beach, pier, marine lake and Victorian town centre, highlighting the importance of tourism to our local community. We also visit the city of Liverpool as part of our learning in Year 2.

It is our goal to instil a love of Geography and encourage our learners to value, care for and appreciate the wonderful forests, beaches and seafront that we are so lucky to have on our doorstep. 

🌍 Curriculum Implementation

The FRIS Geography curriculum has been carefully planned to ensure that learning takes place in a logical sequence with a clear progression of vocabulary, knowledge, skills and understanding. 

Starting in EYFS, children are encouraged to recognise locations that are pertinent to them such as their school and home. They discover simple maps and draw their own. 

In Year 1, pupils conduct fieldwork in the local area of Birkdale/Hillside and the town centre of Southport, locating human and physical geography features, reading maps and using simple keys. Children look at weather patterns and how these patterns affect seasonal change in Southport, the Poles and the Equator. 

In Year 2, children learn to name, identify and locate the world's seven continents and five oceans. They investigate their nearest city of Liverpool, which we visit in the Summer Term after having completed a unit of work about the city's human and physical geography features and how it has developed over time. This allows children to then compare the weather, human and physical geography of Liverpool with the contrasting non-European locality of Accra in Ghana, Africa.

🌟 Curriculum Impact

At FRIS, we strive for every child to achieve their full potential in Geography. Combined with our Eco Schools programme, we want to develop a love of our world, be ready for their next stage in learning and inspire aspirations for their future (green!) career paths. We want our pupils to become cartographers, meteorologists, conservationists, town planners, geologists, teachers, lecturers, farmers, tree surgeons, researchers and ecologists!

At Farnborough Road Infant School, we are all Geography Explorers!

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