At St.Joseph's Primary School we believe that children should learn about themselves and their environment. It is part of Learning about Our World, a key element of our Curriculum.

Our Early Years Curriculum enables children to explore and develop in knowledge and skill through themes. Many of these themes ensure the chance to develop a basic understanding of geography, a sense of place and to wonder at the natural world.

They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things

We aim for children to have the following skills and knowledge by the end of the EYFS:

• Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things
• To have knowledge and experiences of the local area and talk about the features.
• To understand that the key to survival for animals and plants is their environment.
• Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things
• They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions

We aim for all children to have the following skills and knowledge by the end of Key Stage One:

• Understand the key areas of the world which are hot, cold, wet and dry.
• Name some of the continents and oceans of the world.
• Use an 4 -point compass.
• Compare maps and photographs, using a key.
• Know the difference between human and physical features.
• Describe and experience the key features of urban and rural environments.
• Describe the local geography and have visited several places of interest locally.
• To recognise beauty and wonder in the natural world

We aim for all children to have the following skills and knowledge by the end of Key stage Two:

• To know and use keys on a map, including ordnance survey maps and to understand how a compass work .
• To understand the local environment and effect this has on people, animals and the weather, including tourism.
• To have a good working knowledge of their locality, including the Lake District National Park. To have visited several sites of geographical interest in the locality and talk about the landscape.
• To be able to compare several places in and out of the UK by their human and physical geography.
• To recognise beauty and wonder in the natural world