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Manor Community Primary


At Manor Community Primary School all children, including SEND and Disadvantaged, learn the following concepts through studying different geographical topics throughout the school

After our aspiration’s topics, our school year begins with the whole school having a geography focused topic. We start with geography because it is something familiar to the children, especially for the children in Year 1.

They grasp the concept of place before time. We want them to accurately articulate their thoughts and opinions through the proactive acquisition of technical and non-technical vocabulary.


  • Reversible and irreversible change
  • Comparing and contrasting
  • Cause and effect
  • Place

Key Skills

  • Map and atlas work
  • Human and physical features
  • Investigating and field work

British Values

By connecting our British Values through the teaching of Geography, we explore issues that affect us all in our lives and this helps inform decisions that will shape our future e.g plastic waste.

 Key Stage 1

Year 1

The younger children need to start by exploring themselves and their local area before moving out to explore the wider world. We start by looking at the local area/ map work. They explore the local area and learn basic map skills. e.g. a map of the table, then the playground and then the wider area/ investigate their surroundings e.g. Swanscombe.
They progress to the weather - this is a real-life physical occurrence for children and is something to which they can easily relate to. Children look at the changes in the weather and what would be appropriate clothing e.g. to wear into the playground, to go into the local area. They develop the concept of comparing and contrasting hot weather and cold weather in different countries around the world. This is also linked to the Science topic on Seasonal changes. We introduce the children to geographical knowledge and then build on this outwardly into other year groups- by layering skill and knowledge year on year.

Year 2

As the children move into Year 2 we develop the concept of comparing and contrasting further by looking at the local area and comparing two contrasting localities e.g. Swanscombe and an Island (Isle of Coll from the story of Katie Morag). They look at the human and physical features and begin to develop an understanding of how they are connected.

They move from maps of the classroom to aerial photos; road maps and maps of the major features of the UK. They begin to familiarise themselves with the location of the River Thames in Gravesend and its relationship to the development of the local area. The concept of cause and effect is developed with a focus on how the river supports the local people.

Key Stage 2

Year 3

In Year 3 the children link their previous learning about the River Thames in Gravesend to the River Thames in London. The concept of comparing and contrasting is further deepened through the study of rivers in detail as a key physical geographical feature.

The River Thames (a local river) is compared to the Amazon, the children compare the physical and human features of each area. There is then the analysis of evidence and drawing conclusions; understanding geographical similarities and differences. They study larger scale maps of the world identifying a range of rivers and other features. They look at the physical features of the UK by looking at other rivers and the river system.

The concepts of cause and effect is extended through the teaching of how people settled near the rivers and the concept environmental impact is explored to note the current climate changes as well as the impact of humans on the environment.

Year 4

In Year 4 they move on to exploring coastal features with a trip to Whitstable. They are looking at the human and physical features and how they are connected. The develop the concept of comparing and contrasting different coastlines They look at how the physical features of a river and develop the concept of environmental impact of the land near the coast e.g. erosion and coastal defences, tourism, fishing etc.

The concept of cause and effect is further developed thought the study of how the weather affects coastlines. They also use their previous skills about the weather learnt in Year 1 as to how the weather affects the coastlines eg - floods, droughts etc. This is also linked to their Science topic on Rocks, fossils and soil.

Year 5

In Year 5 they develop the concept of comparing and contrasting to investigate and deepen the understanding of the concept places with more emphasis on a larger scale across the world. The concept of cause and effect is developed further through the study of dangerous places around the world.

They research how dangerous places are formed and how people survive in areas where they are found. Eg: where a volcano erupts or the impact on life during or after an earthquake. They also look at current climate changes and the environmental impact around the world where more dangerous places are being found. They look at thematic maps and the comparison of other large-scale maps.

Year 6

In Year 6 using all the previous knowledge and skills taught the children further expand the concepts of comparing and contrasting, cause and effect and environmental impact so that they can make informed and critical decisions around many aspects linked to the world around them and the effect of human footprints on the world. They study world scale biomes.

They independently apply the skills already learnt from previous years in order to explain and analyse appropriate data. They compare contrasting biomes and develop their understanding of the human impact on them – including major environmental issues like pollution. They make comparisons and draw conclusions.