Long-term overview - My local area - Year 1

The Year 1 Geography curriculum sets out to familiarise young learners with their immediate surroundings as well as the broader United Kingdom. It aligns with the National Curriculum requirements, which involve using world maps, atlases, and globes to identify key global locations. Students are also introduced to basic compass directions and the use of aerial photographs to help them construct simple maps. An essential part of the learning is undertaking fieldwork within the school's locality to gain practical geographical experience.

Substantive knowledge acquisition includes understanding the geographical positions of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales on a UK map, as well as mastering the cardinal points of a compass (North, East, South, and West). Students learn their full address, including the postcode, and the name of their nearest town or city, which they are also able to locate on a map. The curriculum further delves into disciplinary knowledge by teaching students how to understand and use maps and globes, the importance of street names and postcodes, and how to follow simple road maps to identify local landmarks. Fieldwork skills are developed through observation, recording information about the local area, taking photographs of local geographical features, and creating simple maps based on their observations, highlighting the differences between world maps and globes.