Ofsted has published the fifth in a series of reviews into
different subjects across the curriculum. The latest review looks
at geography education. It draws on our education inspection
framework (EIF) and other literature to identify what contributes
to a high-quality geography curriculum, as well as high-quality
assessment, pedagogy and systems in schools.
The review discusses the context of geography teaching and uptake
in English schools. The subject has had a relatively low status
in primary schools and over time there has been a gradual decline
in the amount of time spent studying geography in the classroom.
This contrasts with secondary schools, where the number of pupils
entering geography exams has increased significantly in the past
decade, according to the review. Now, almost half of key stage 4
pupils study the subject.
Like other subjects, the review notes that knowledge in geography
can be organised into two forms – ‘substantive’ and
‘disciplinary’.
Disciplinary knowledge is used when pupils consider where
geographical knowledge originates, and how they can learn the
practices of geographers. Substantive knowledge sets out the
content that pupils will learn. In geography, this has followed
the split seen in the national curriculum:
- locational knowledge
- place knowledge
- environmental, physical and human geography
- geography skills and fieldwork
A successful geography curriculum reflects teachers’ careful
thinking and rationale behind what is taught, the sequencing of
learning and the relationships between the forms of knowledge.
While Ofsted recognises that there is no single way of achieving
a good geography education, the report identifies some common
features of a high-quality curriculum. For example:
- Teachers break down curriculum content into component parts
and draw from the breadth of concepts to give pupils the
knowledge they need to appreciate the wider subject. When
choosing curriculum content, teachers consider pupils’ prior
knowledge and experiences.
- Teachers recognise that building pupils’ knowledge of
locations, or ‘where’s where’, helps them build their own
identity and sense of place. Pupils develop an appreciation of
distance and scale.
- Pupils gain the knowledge they need to develop an
increasingly complex understanding of place. This helps them make
a connection between location and geographical processes and
personal experience. For example, looking at their own route to
school, town or city may lead to more conceptual understanding
that they can draw on when looking at regional, national and
global scales.
- Fieldwork includes data collection, analysis and
presentation. The experience of fieldwork draws together pupils’
locational knowledge and that of human and physical processes. It
should be practised regularly.
- Pupils see that geography is a dynamic subject where thinking
and viewpoints change. Teachers correct pupils’ misconceptions
through secure subject knowledge and effective teaching
approaches.
- Enquiry-based learning in geography can support the
development of pupils’ disciplinary knowledge. Through careful
content selection and teacher guidance, it can increase pupils’
capacity to recognise and ask geographical questions, to critique
sources and reflect on what they have learned, as well as the
methods used.
- When using contemporary media coverage to engage and motivate
pupils, teachers ensure that the geographical knowledge to be
learned is always at the forefront of their teaching. Teachers
check that any media content is geographically accurate.
- Sufficient teaching time is allocated to cover the breadth of
subject knowledge, and school leaders give careful thought to how
geography is timetabled.
In 2022, Ofsted will be publishing a report on the quality of
geography curriculums taught in schools. We will gather the
evidence for this through subject ‘deep dives’ during inspections
under the EIF.
To find out more about Ofsted’s curriculum work, read the
principles behind the
research reviews and subject reports.
