“I like to learn about different countries and compare how they live differently!”

KS1 pupil, Pupil Voice 2026

At Codnor Primary School, Geography supports the purposeful journey of the whole child by developing curiosity, understanding and respect for the world around us. Through Geography, pupils explore places, people and environments, gaining a deeper appreciation of the diversity of our world and the physical and human processes that shape it.

Our local community sits at the heart of our Geography curriculum. We hold Codnor and the wider Derbyshire area in high esteem and are committed to giving pupils meaningful opportunities to investigate their local environment. Through first-hand experiences, enquiry-based learning and fieldwork, children develop a strong sense of identity, belonging and pride in their community, while gaining an understanding of their heritage and what makes their locality unique.

Geography at Codnor also plays a key role in promoting British Values. Pupils learn to respect different cultures, viewpoints and ways of life, understand democracy and responsibility, and recognise their role within both local and global communities. These principles are woven throughout our curriculum and help children to develop into thoughtful, respectful and informed citizens.

We encourage pupils to think, act and communicate like geographers. They research carefully, collect and analyse data, and use maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping tools to deepen their understanding of the world. Pupils are taught to present their learning in a range of ways, developing skills that are essential for future learning and life beyond the classroom.

Our carefully structured Geography curriculum goes beyond National Curriculum expectations, building cultural capital and supporting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Through a strong focus on community, British Values and global awareness, we prepare our children to become well-rounded individuals who understand their place in the world and their responsibility to it.

Aims:

• An excellent knowledge of where places are and what they are like.
• An excellent understanding of the ways in which places are interdependent and interconnected and how much human and physical environments are interrelated.
• An extensive base of geographical knowledge and vocabulary.
• Fluency in geographical enquiry and the ability to apply questioning skills and use effective analytical and presentational techniques.
• The ability to reach clear conclusions and develop a reasoned argument to explain findings.
• Significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity as shown in interpretations and representations of the subject matter.
• Highly developed and frequently utilised fieldwork and other geographical skills and techniques.
• A passion for and commitment to the subject, and a real sense of curiosity to find out about the world and the people who live there.
• The ability to express well-balanced opinions, rooted in good knowledge and understanding about current and contemporary issues in society and the environment.

Through sequences of lessons and topics, pupils' geographical skills and concepts are built, reinforced, and transferred into other contexts, allowing children to deepen their understanding and remember what they learn.

Our pupils leave Codnor Primary School with the knowledge to think, act and speak like a geographer and they value the transference of these skills into their every day life, in education and beyond.

How Geography looks at Codnor:

Geography objective progression:

Geography knowledge progression:

Geography medium term plans:

                      KS1                      Y3                       Y4                          Y5                        Y6

The Golden Threads of Geography:

In Geography at Codnor Primary School, golden threads are the key concepts and themes that run throughout the curriculum, carefully woven together to build knowledge and understanding over time. These threads are revisited purposefully across year groups, enabling pupils to make connections between places, people and environments and to deepen their understanding as they progress through the school. This approach supports strong knowledge retention, making learning secure and meaningful, while developing pupils’ ability to think, act and communicate like geographers.

The document below outlines the golden threads of Geography and shows how they are explicitly taught and revisited across year groups. This ensures a coherent, cumulative and well-sequenced curriculum that reflects our commitment to developing informed, curious learners and our vision to Let Your Light Shine.

Pupil Voice:

Gallery:

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