Geography


We believe that a rounded understanding of the world in which we live is vital if our children are to make informed decisions as they grow up. It also provides a huge range of opportunities to develop our learning powers, particularly curiosity, empathy and co-operation. To find out more about what we teach and how learnng fits together, take a look at our skills and knowledge progression:  

The aim of our Geography curriculum

We want all children to appreciate similarities and differences between different areas of our country, our continent and our planet, and begin to understand the effect that these have on everyday lives in these places. They will be taught about key features of physical geography, including rivers, mountains, rainforests, volcanoes and climate, learning both the processes behind them and the impact that they have on human environments. 

We also believe that locational knowledge - the ability to use and identify places on maps and globes - is crucial. All children should leave our school knowing where they live and where that is situated in the world. They will be able to name and locate the seven continents and five oceans, as well as some of the countries and regions that they have studied (such as the USA, Caribbean, Amazon rainforest, River Thames and Andes mountains). 

Finally, children will learn to behave like geographers, collecting information through fieldwork, data analysis, first– and second-hand accounts and map study. They will recognise the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of information, and use this to inform their own conclusions and decision making - both at school and in the wider world beyond.

"Teachers and other adults have very positive relationships with pupils. As a result pupils work with confidence and commitment."

Ofsted report, 2022

Experiences we want every child to have at Bedwell:
  • Explore our local area, through walks, visits and fieldwork to parks, shops and other places of interest 
  • Visit a variety of different physical environments, including the seaside, forests and rivers 
  • Have opportunities to compare life in Stevenage first hand with life in a local village and life in London 
  • See nationally recognised landmarks in real life (eg. Buckingham Palace, Westminster or the Tower of London) 
  • Talk to people who have lived and grown-up in different parts of the world 
  • Explore the culture of different countries through in-school themed days, including tasting food from around the world
This term's learning

Year 1 and 2   - Fieldmice, Dormice and Hedgehogs organised a fantastic India Day which included everyone in the whole of Years 1 and 2! Across the day they took part in lots of different activities and workshops, including: writing their names in Hindi, learning Bollywood dance moves and cooking Indian breads. At the end of the day they shared lots of what they had done and got to try out their homemade roti breads, dips and poppadums. It was all delicious and they all agreed that they had had a fantastic day!

Early Years Admissions  

If you're looking for a place in Nursery or Reception, you can find out lots more about our school in our Early Years Prospectus.

We're always keen to show potential new applicants around - just get in touch with the school office to arrange a tour. 

Once you're ready to apply, head to the admissions page to find out more about the process - we run Nursery admissions ourselves, but from Reception upwards, these need to be made via Herts County Council.