Geography

At Bignold Primary School our Geography Curriculum is based on the CUSP Curriculum. Mr Nicholson is our Geography Subject Leader.

Geography is the study of where places are found, what they are like and the relationships between people and their environments.

CUSP Geography is designed so that each lesson builds on what students have already learned. For example, in EYFS, children explore topics like People, Culture, and the Natural World through activities and their local environment. These ideas are revisited in later years, helping students connect new, more complex ideas to what they already know. In EYFS, students explore globes and world locations, linking these to where animals live. This helps them remember the locations of continents and oceans.

The curriculum emphasizes lots of practice to help students remember and apply what they’ve learned. CUSP Geography focuses on key concepts like places, spaces, human and physical processes, and how these ideas are connected. For example, students learn about Europe and its connection to the UK’s location. As students progress, they become more knowledgeable and build a clear understanding of geography, avoiding fragmented knowledge.

The CUSP Geography curriculum teaches through these Big Ideas so that knowledge can be well connected.

CUSP Geography aims to make knowledge memorable and long-lasting by using research-backed techniques like spaced retrieval and deliberate practice. This approach helps students connect new information to what they’ve already learned, making it easier for them to remember. CUSP goes beyond the National Curriculum, offering students the opportunity to reach their full potential through evidence-based teaching methods.