MCPA maakt deel uit van Greater Manchester Academies Trust

My name is Miss Reid and I am the curriculum leader for Geography at MCPA. The most rewarding thing about leading geography is

helping the students to realise that there is a huge world out there to be discovered. Geography helps us to develop an appreciation

and understanding of different people, places, cultures and environments so that we become much more open-minded. The geography curriculum is designed to inspire a curiosity in pupils about the world and its people that will continue to develop throughout their lives.

We want to develop our children’s identity by enabling them to view their place in our world through studies of our local area, the

vibrant city of Manchester, the UK, Europe and our world.

 

British Values

Democracy - In the Geography classroom we have respect for our fellow pupils and encourage everyone to have the confidence to

express their ideas and opinions regarding geographical issues such as pollution, environmental issues, water and globalisation.

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Rule of Law - In Geography pupils examine different codes for living and consider the value of the rule of law where all people are

equal before the law. Children are given the opportunities to explore and evaluate the outcomes of meetings such  as those surrounding climate change. We will also investigate laws at a local and global scale that can influence both the physical and human layout of

the landscape and contribute towards population decline and growth in certain areas.

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Individual Liberty - Children will explore their own individual liberty in terms of exploring their own career paths within Geography

and surrounding the subject having the freedom to pursue any further interests they may have. When comparing and contrasting

locations children will also explore the people living in these environments and their own individual liberties.

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Mutual Respect - Mutual Respect is taught and given when children are expressing their opinions and beliefs about different

geographical parts of the world and societies in them. Children are taught and encouraged to show respect to each other’s beliefs,

feelings and opinions by giving each child a forum to share these on with the expectation that these must be listened to. Children will

discuss what it means to be British and learn how to question and challenge stereotypes respecting others opinions.

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Tolerance - Children consider questions regarding how different cultures live and work throughout the world. Children have

the opportunity to explore how areas have changed and how the diverse needs in society have changed them. The geography

curriculum at MCPA also helps to demonstrate the diversity of people’s backgrounds helping children to have further tolerance

of different faiths and beliefs. 

 

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Cultural Capital

The Geography curriculum at MCPA is enriched with  extra-curricular activities designed to enhance the learning experience

of our learners and increase their cultural capital. These enrichment opportunities include:

 

-Trips within the local area 

-Trips beyond the local area e.g. Upper Mill village

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SMSC 

Spiritual - Through teaching geography, we can also develop children’s spiritual development. Essentially, Geography is about

studying people; where they live and our relationship with the environment. This involves providing children with the opportunities

to reflect on their own values and beliefs and those of others. Children may explore what it would be like to live  as a victim of an

earthquake or other natural disaster, to living on tropical islands. Children have the opportunity to explore their own feelings about

the people, culture, place and environments that they are learning about.

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Moral - Most geographical issues provide opportunities for distinguishing a moral dimension; for example …

'Should deforestation be allowed in a rainforest?' 

Social - Fieldwork and classroom opportunities that the geography curriculum provides, enhances social development as

pupils develop a greater degree of self-discipline and rely on collaborative skills to ensure the learning is successful. 

Geography also teaches an understanding of citizenship, where debates and discussions teach pupils about the planning

process in a town or city; they learn about national and international trade links and how this has an impact on people and places;

and understand the concept of sustainable development.

 

Cultural - An essential component of Geography is place knowledge. By understanding the features and characteristics of

their local area, children understand why it is like that, and can contrast where they live with more distant localities, in this country

and abroad. This understanding ensures children are aware of the cultural traditions associated with the place they are studying,

as well as our own multicultural society.

 

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Personal Development

Geography is all about us, it’s about people and places. Barack Obama in 2012 said: ‘The study of geography is more than just

memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exist

across continents and in the end, it’s about using all the knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.’

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Geography helps children develop a global perspective and learn about different cultures and lifestyles around the world.

Being rich and varied, our Geography curriculum supports pupils in learning about diverse places, people, resources, and

environments. It inspires a curiosity and fascination about their world. Here at MCPA we support pupils to understand the

world around them, and how different places are connected; we teach important skills such as map reading and critical thinking,

but we also nurture a desire to learn about the natural world, the distribution of resources, and the impact of human activity on the environment In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, we strive to maximise our pupil’s ability to navigate the

challenges of the 21st century and to become informed, aware and pro-active citizens in a global community.

 

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Trips and enrichment

• Local area visit 

• Trip to Upper Mill village 

• Castlefield Basin