Geography at Wicor

Geography at Wicor enables children to understand the world’s landscapes, environments and communities, and how they change over time. Our enquiry‑led approach helps pupils think like geographers: asking questions, analysing evidence and forming well‑reasoned explanations about both physical and human processes.

The curriculum is structured to develop a strong sense of place. Children begin by studying their immediate environment—our school grounds, the local community and familiar local features—where they build foundational mapping, observational and fieldwork skills. As they progress, pupils broaden their geographical lens to explore the wider UK, Europe and global regions, learning how climate, landforms, population, resources and economic activity shape different places.

A major feature of our curriculum is the comparative study of national parks, which gives children a rich understanding of contrasting landscapes and the relationship between people and the environment. We study:

The New Forest – focusing on heathland, ancient woodland, commoning traditions and tourism pressures
The South Downs – exploring chalk landscapes, forests, farming practices and conservation work
Dartmoor (including a fieldwork residential) – examining granite tors, moorland ecosystems, water systems and carrying out a village study to understand settlement, community life and land use
The Broads – investigating wetland environments, waterways, biodiversity and sustainable recreation
The Cairngorms – understanding mountain environments, climate, habitats and conservation challenges

Through comparing these parks, children learn how physical features vary across upland and lowland settings, how ecosystems support different forms of life, and how land is managed for farming, tourism, conservation and community needs. This structured comparison develops pupils’ understanding of how landscapes form, how they are used and how they are protected.

Across all year groups, pupils develop essential geographical skills. They learn to read, interpret and create maps—including Ordnance Survey maps—use digital mapping tools, interpret aerial photographs, collect and present data, and undertake fieldwork in a range of contexts. Fieldwork is central to our approach and includes hands‑on investigations within our nature‑rich school grounds as well as other visits within Hampshire, along with local studies and our Dartmoor residential visit.

Environmental understanding is woven throughout the curriculum. Pupils learn how environments can be used sustainably, how human activity shapes landscapes and how people manage, protect and restore habitats. This is taught through real geographical examples and evidence, enabling children to make sense of environmental issues in a grounded, informed way.

By the time they leave Wicor, pupils can explain how and why places vary, compare different landscapes, understand key physical and human processes and use geographical skills confidently. Most importantly, they develop a thoughtful, informed interest in the world, equipped with the knowledge and skills to interpret the places and environments they encounter throughout their lives.

Year 2 tucked into a taste of England! As part of their journey through the four countries of the UK, our young explorers sampled some classic English favourites:

🍽️ Sausage rolls

🍽️ Stuffing

🍽️ Scones

🍽️ Yorkshire pudding

Learning never tasted so good and what better way to bring history and culture to life than through food!

English food

After sharing England’s classics, Year 2 set out to taste the traditions of each nation…

🥧 Scotland - porridge, shortbread, tattie cake, tablet

🍀 Northern Ireland – hearty Irish stew with soda bread, fifteens, potato cake

🐉 Wales – rarebit, Welsh soup, bara brith, Welsh cake

Every plate was a story, every bite a tradition and Year 2 loved discovering them all!

UK Food

Children began this unit of work by learning what trade is and finding out where the foods we eat come from around the world. They then learnt when trade became global, how trade has changed over time and interrogated a timeline of when foods were first imported to the UK. Children then learnt about why we import goods, which included climate and cost. They revised the countries and oceans. Children moved on to see how many people are involved in the process of trade and learnt about the supply chain. The term ‘fairtrade’ was introduced and explained; they then learnt about fairtrade bananas and chocolate, at their supply chain and the specific countries that grow these crops. Children then researched the world’s biggest palm oil producer (Indonesia) and created a poster about the problems of palm oil along with some solutions. They then applied their knowledge on Fairtrade by visiting the local Co-op. Children tasted both fairtrade and non-fairtrade goods and discussed any differences. They brought this learning together by writing a letter to supermarket owners asking them to consider stop selling food that is not fairtrade. To round up this unit of work, children identified how these goods are transported across the oceans, looking in particular at our local shipping port, as well as tracking specific vessels in the oceans globally.

Trade Y4

Year 6 Rivers.mp4

A Year 6 child's booklet on the River Thames

A Year 2 module on Bears

Britius is a wildlife specialist with GRI - Game Rangers International. He came to talk to the children in 2023 about the Wildlife Reserve in Zambia. He talked to the KS2 children in assembly and then visited each class answering questions about his job and his life in Zambia.

Y5 also worked with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and completed a drawing masterclass.

Game Rangers International | olsen-animal-trust