Geography Portfolio
What is the capital of Peru?" "What is the main export of South Africa?" "What is the longest river in Wales?
At John Burns Primary School, our geography curriculum aims to inspire children’s curiosity and fascination about the world and the people within it. We provide a broad and balanced approach that helps pupils develop a deep understanding of diverse places, people, resources, and both natural and human environments. Through practical fieldwork and the study of key geographical processes, children build the knowledge and skills needed to ask and answer meaningful questions about the world around them. Our curriculum not only meets the National Curriculum requirements but also prepares pupils to become informed, responsible, and globally minded citizens.
How is geography taught at John Burns Primary School?
At John Burns Primary School, geography is taught through a structured, progressive curriculum that links to termly topics. Lessons begin by reviewing prior learning and building on knowledge from previous years, helping pupils to “know more and remember more.” Children explore geographical concepts using a wide range of resources, including maps, atlases, globes, diagrams, and aerial photographs, and develop skills through fieldwork, data collection, surveys, and investigations.
Learning is enriched through educational visits, local fieldwork, and visitors, with opportunities for cross-curricular links to subjects like history, science, and mathematics. Pupil understanding is regularly assessed through observations, feedback, pupil voice, and work scrutiny, with outcomes recorded in topic books and end-of-year reports. Staff benefit from ongoing professional development to ensure confident, high-quality geography teaching, while lessons are designed to support all learners and provide opportunities for greater depth.
Young Geographer of the Year 2025
John Burns Primary School Internal Competition Winner 2025, Labiqa Babar (Year 6)
Young Geographer of the Year 2024
Young Geographer of the Year Competition Highly Commended Award 2024 - Labiqa Babar
Labiqa attended an awards ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society on 19th November 2024. She produced a poster around the this year's theme of #choosegeography, which explored elements of human and physical geography as well as what life would be like without geography.
Young Geographer of the Year Press Release (2024):
The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) recognises the outstanding work of the next generation of geographers through its Young Geographer of the Year competition. An international award with categories spanning the primary years to A Level, the competition encourages young people to think creatively and analytically about geographical themes. The theme for 2024 was Choose geography, with pupils aged from seven to 18 invited to create striking and informative posters that demonstrate the relevance of geography and how studying it can help you understand the world we live in and the global challenges we face as a society. With schools hosting their own heats and submitting only their winners, the 1,000 entries received by the Society represented just a fraction of the overall number of participating students. The judges were looking for creative and engaging posters that highlighted the wide range of jobs that geographers do and how geographers make a difference. They selected 16 young people for recognition, with two winners and two highly commended entries selected for each age category.
Year 1 Explorers Convention Class Assembly 2025
During their class assembly, Jeffers Class hosted their first-ever Explorers Convention, “To the Ends of the Earth,” showcasing the creativity and curiosity of our young learners. Students stepped into the shoes of famous explorers, including Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, Matthew Henson, Neil Armstrong, Amelia Earhart, and Laura Dekker, taking the audience on a journey through time and across the globe. Through this immersive experience, the children developed their knowledge of history and geography, demonstrating confidence, enthusiasm, and a love of discovery.
Year 4 – Climate Change Assembly 2025
Year 4 wowed us with their class assembly, “Beneath the Surface.” Full of energy, creativity, and impressive talent, the assembly used a fun Newsround-style format to explore the Mariana Trench, Gyotaku art, and the important topic of climate change. A special highlight was a ‘guest appearance’ by Greta Thunberg, inspiring everyone to think about the world beneath the surface and the impact we all have on it.
Year 3 Trip to Stonehenge - November 2024
Year 3 developed their geography skills during a visit to the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge in November. Exploring the site allowed students to study the physical landscape, understand how people have interacted with their environment over time, and consider the significance of location, landmarks, and cultural heritage. This hands-on experience brought their learning in human and physical geography to life.
Year 5 Educational Visit to Battersea Power Station - November 2022
As part of their 3P Topic 'Under the Chimneys' Year 5 visited Battersea Power Station. They learnt about the history of the power station and how to get power to our homes. The class became town planners to see how land around the power station is now being used.
Year 3 Educational Visit to Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) - January 2023
As part of their 3P Topic 'Fantastic Plastic' Year 3 visited WRWA. They watched what happens to rubbish when it arrives at the recycling centre - from it being deposited, to sorted and put into containers on the river barges. A workshop followed, where the class learnt all about the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle).
Year 5 Single Use Plastic Workshop - March 2023
Artist Joshua Blake visited to lead an Art/Geography workshop around the theme of Single Use Plastic. Year 5 designed and created jellyfish sculptures for a community project and arts installation at Southside Shopping Centre. The class learnt about 6Rs - extended from the 3Rs to include: Repair, Rethink and Refuse.