Geography

Intent
Implementation
Impact

What we teach

At Uplands Infant School, our Geography curriculum is designed to build children’s cultural capital through our curriculum drivers, the National Curriculum, and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework. We aim to inspire curiosity about the world and develop a strong sense of place.
Through engaging, hands-on experiences, children explore:
  • Their local environment
  • Different places around the world
  • Key geographical concepts such as maps, weather, and human and physical features
Our curriculum helps pupils understand how places and people are connected, recognise patterns in the world around them, and develop pride in their local community while appreciating the wider world beyond.
“A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.”
— Department for Education

How we teach it

Our Geography curriculum is organised around three key concepts:
Learning takes place through practical, creative, and exploratory activities such as storytelling, map work, outdoor learning, and discussions. Geography is integrated into everyday learning, making it meaningful and accessible for all children.
Lessons are adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including those with SEND, through inclusive strategies and differentiated outcomes. Teachers use high-quality questioning, oracy, and sentence stems to support and extend learning for every child.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), children explore their immediate environment and begin to recognise human and physical features through play, local walks, stories, continuous provision and map-based activities. This child-centred approach encourages curiosity, questioning, and early geographical thinking, laying the foundation for future learning.
In Key Stage 1, children build on this foundation by developing map skills, recognising human and physical features, identifying weather patterns, and locating continents and oceans. They begin to understand how people and places are linked, both locally and globally.

What pupils have learnt

By the end of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) children will be able to:
By the end of Key Stage 1, children demonstrate:
Through early geographical experiences, pupils develop curiosity, confidence, and a lasting interest in exploring their world. Geography at Uplands Infant School enables children to develop a strong sense of community, respect for diversity, and a secure foundation for future geographical learning.

In Class learning 2025-2026

Weather

Pre Nursery/Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2

Nursery

In Nursery, the children have been using all of their senses to explore how the leaves change as autumn arrives. They have noticed the colourful leaves and the crunchy textures. It was great fun to make snow angels, sweep the leaves, collect leaves in the wheel barrow and toss them into the air and watch how they fall. (covered through the Science Curriculum)

In Reception, the children have been exploring how the weather and seasons change throughout the year. They have been noticing the cooler temperatures, the different clothes we wear, and the ways nature on our school grounds transforms around us. Through hands‑on experiences—such as throwing leaves, investigating their colours and textures, and observing how they fall—children have enjoyed discovering the signs of autumn and developing their understanding of seasonal change.
(covered through the Science Curriculum).

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Investigate Places using Locational and Place Knowledge

Pre Nursery/Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2

Pre-Nursery

Our pre‑nursery children have been exploring their classroom and outdoor areas with curiosity, noticing what’s around them and learning through real experiences. Through play, they are beginning to act out familiar moments from their everyday lives, helping them make sense of the world in a joyful and meaningful way.

Our Reception children enjoyed a walk around the local area, spotting shops, different types of houses, trees, bushes and important places like the post office and the doctor’s surgery. They loved noticing the features of their community and talking about what they saw. It was a wonderful way to bring their learning to life! 

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Maps

Pre Nursery/Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2

Nursery

In Nursery, the children have been enjoying exploring familiar places through play. Using small-world resources and construction materials, they’ve been creating homes, towers and environments inspired by the places they are familiar with.

Through continuous provision, the children are beginning to understand how spaces are organised, while developing their language, collaboration skills, and independence — including carefully tidying away resources after playing.

Our Reception children have been exploring the wonderful world of maps! We’ve been learning how colours help us understand places — blue shows water, and green shows land. The children enjoyed spotting these features on different maps and talking about where we live. We looked at Leicester on the map and even found our school in Highfields. It’s been an exciting first step in understanding the world around us!

Children in reception are exploring early geographical skills by creating their own maps, using blue to show water and adding suns to represent weather. They also included small world play to bring their ideas to life. Through drawing and imaginative play, they developed problem‑solving skills, collaboration, creativity, and an understanding of how maps help us make sense of the world.

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Useful links

Leicester

London

Farms and zoos

Weather

World

Places to visit

Leicester Museum and Art Gallery
53 New Walk, Leicester LE1 7EA

Parks

  • Spinney Hill
  • Brocks Hill
  • Bradgate
  • Abbey
  • Victoria
  • Shady Lane Arboretum

Your local area
(the streets where you live)

Train Station

City Centre
The clock tower, town hall square, Guildhall, Cathedral, Castle Park

London Landmarks

  • St James’ Park
  • London Eye
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Hyde Park
  • Regents Park
  • River Thames
  • Tower Bridge

Stonehurst Family Farm and Motor Museum
Bond Ln, Mountsorrel, Loughborough LE12 7AA

Gorse Hill City Farm
Anstey Ln, Leicester LE4 0FJ

Pets Corner
Abbey Park

Twycross Zoo
Burton Rd, Atherstone CV9 3PXT

Tropical Birdland
Lindridge Ln, Desford, Leicester LE9 9GN

Weather
Visit your local park at different times of the year and record the seasons.

  • What do you notice?
  • What’s the same?
  • What’s different?

World

  • If you visit another country or a different city in England what is the same and what’s different?
  • Can you share photos or videos with relatives in a different part of the world?
  • What’s different about the weather? What do their houses look like?
Books to read
  • The Fox and the Ghost King by Michael Morpurgo
  • A Walk in London by Salvatore Rubbino
  • Children’s Picture Atlas by Ruth Brocklehurst
  • Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers Weather by Katie daynes
  • Little Kids First Big Book Of The World by National Geographic
  • Introducing Africa by Chris Oxlade
  • Introducing Australia by Anita Ganeri
  • All countries, capitals and flags of the world: A guide to flags from around the world by Smart Kids
  • Introducing Antarctica by Anita Ganeri
  • Introducing Asia by Anita Ganeri
  • Introducing South America by Anita Ganeri
  • Introducing North America by Chris Oxlade