Geography

Great Stories Begin With ... Exploration

Children are naturally inquisitive about the world. At Hazlegrove, we provide our pupils with the tools of enquiry that they need to investigate geographical questions and reach robust conclusions. Much use is made of mobile technology, the extensive school grounds and a variety of field trips to help bring geography to life: the effectiveness and immediacy of tangible, first hand experiences cannot be matched.

"Is excessive tourist activity damaging the landscape around Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door?" Every autumn, our Year 8s collect a wealth of data to help answer this question, from measuring footpath erosion to interviewing relevant people. Pupils then analyse their findings, learning to evaluate the reliability of their data and decide whether they have enough evidence to reach valid conclusions.

Specialist geography teaching is provided to children in Years 6 to 8 focusing on geographical skills, places and themes; younger children in the Pre-Prep and Lower School are taught by their class teachers. There is plenty of time to cover topical issues and explore areas of interest that have captivated pupils’ imagination.

We take every opportunity to enhance the children's sense of responsibility for the world in which we live. Location knowledge is a fundamental part of what we do: children must know where key rivers, mountains countries and cities are across the world before they go on to senior school. To help pupils learn this information, we use a range of creative strategies from ‘map from memory’ group activities to iPad apps.