Geography is the integrated study of the Earths places, peoples, environments and societies. Listen to the news or open a newspaper and you cannot fail to be struck by the relevance of geography. Geography is a practical discipline that enables children to understand change, conflict and key issues which impact on our lives today and which will affect our futures tomorrow. It is important that children learn about the world they live in and on which they depend. Our children are the adults of tomorrow who need to understand the management of risk, appreciate diversity, are aware of environmental issues, promote sustainability and respect human rights. To create children who are active and well rounded citizens there is no more relevant subject than geography.

At Sunninghill we agree with David Bell (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools) who said ‘Geography should have a leading role to play in preparing young people to face their responsibilities and develop a critical understanding of the rapidly changing world in which they live.’

The aim of geography at Sunninghill is to equip pupils with the skills and the desire to ask questions and find out about the world for themselves.

At Sunninghill we strive to ensure that geography is relevant, stimulating and interesting. The learning environment that we encourage is one in which the learner is responsible for the learning and construction of knowledge, through cooperative situations, open-ended questioning, discussion and discovery learning set in meaningful contexts.

Within geography we encourage initiative, with children asking their own questions and finding answers. Pupils should look for evidence rather than receiving knowledge passively and link concepts to real life situations. The curriculum is developing to encourage enquiry and an increased use of fieldwork and outdoor learning as part of the learning experience. Learning is not done to people, it is done by them.