English

Our vision — Every Child a Reader — drives a curriculum that nurtures confident readers, imaginative storytellers, and purposeful writers. In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, we build strong foundations in language through Read Write Inc. Phonics, alongside clear letter formation. These early skills support fluency, comprehension, and a lifelong love of reading.

As children progress, they continue to develop accuracy and independence through Read Write Inc. Spelling from Year 2 onwards. High-quality texts inspire them to read widely and write for a range of real-world purposes—whether crafting persuasive arguments, telling stories, or sharing ideas. Through a rich, language-driven environment, we promote the belief that quality reading leads to quality writing, empowering every child to find their voice and use it with confidence and purpose.

Nursery

In Nursery, pupils begin to explore geography by learning about their immediate surroundings and the people and places that are familiar to them. They talk about their homes, families, and what they see on their way to school. Through stories, photos, and simple maps, they begin to understand that different people live in different kinds of homes and places. Pupils enjoy seasonal walks where they observe changes in the weather and nature, helping them to notice how the world around them changes over time. They also begin to explore different environments through play and storytelling, such as forests, farms, and oceans, laying the foundation for understanding the wider world.

Reception

In Reception, pupils build on their early experiences by exploring a broader view of the world. They learn to describe their local environment using maps, drawings, and digital tools, and begin to compare it with other places around the world. Pupils talk about different types of weather, landscapes, and homes, and they begin to understand that people live in many different ways depending on where they are. Through engaging topics such as journeys, habitats, and space, they explore how environments vary and how they can be cared for. Seasonal walks and photo comparisons help them observe and describe changes over time, encouraging curiosity and a growing awareness of the world beyond their own community.

Year 1

Where I Live: Understanding routes to school, comparing places.

Farming: Locating continents and oceans, climate impact on agriculture.

Map Making & Fieldwork: Simple maps, symbols, local fieldwork with digital technologies.

Spanish Links: Spanish farming and local produce.

Human Geography

Where I live

Explain the route that is taken to get to school.
Make comparisons between features of different places
Explain the order an address is written
use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human features
devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key
Link with: Travel through time

Physical Geographical

Geographical Similarities

Geographical similarities and differences. Eg. Deserts are hot, sandy. Arctic is cold and snowy. What is it like in Broadclyst or Devon or England?
Identify seasonal changes in the UK.

Geographical Skills

Location Language

Locational and directional features to describe landmarks or natural features. Eg. Above, below, under, over…

Map Reading

See here Map Making progression document for further detail.

Interpreting
Orientation
Drawing
Symbols
Perspective & Scale
Digital Map Making

Spanish Links

Spanish Farming

Look at the weather and which crops grow well in Spain e.g., strawberries.
Local culture of Spain including food and local produce e.g., chorizo.

Year 2

Understanding Britain: Naming countries, capitals, comparing regions in UK, Europe, and non-European countries.

Natural Disasters: Studying earthquakes, tsunamis, linking to Spanish geography.

Map Making & Fieldwork: Enhanced map skills, aerial photo interpretation, fieldwork with digital mapping.

Spanish Links: Mapping Spanish cities, studying natural disasters.

Human Geography

Understanding Britain

Name and locate the four countries of Britain, capital cities and their seas.
Look at similarities and differences between a small area in England (Devon), European Country (Spain) and an area from a non-European country (Kenya) through the study of human geography.
Link with: WW2

Physical Geographical

Understanding Britain

Name and locate the four countries of Britain, capital cities and their seas.
Look at similarities and differences between a small area in England (Devon), European Country (Spain) and an area from a non-European country (Kenya) through the study of human geography.
Link with: WW2
Describe and understand key aspects of physical

Natural Disasters

geography, including: earthquakes, tsunami
(Contemporary examples)
Link with: Disasters history

Geographical Skills

Map Reading/ Making

See here Map Making progression document for further detail.

Interpreting
Orientation
Drawing
Symbols
Perspective & Scale
Digital Map Making

Fieldwork

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.

A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan

Spanish Links

Spanish Geography

Name and locate the main cities of Spain including the capital, Madrid.
Explore any natural disasters that have happened in the country. Lorca Earthquake, Hierro Eruption
Look at aerial photos of Spanish landmarks and identify.

Year 3

In Year 3, children grow as independent writers, exploring a variety of exciting opportunities to express their ideas. They develop storytelling skills through National and Trust-wide 500-word competitions, while also becoming confident in non-fiction writing, creating leaflets, posters, and other purposeful texts. A strong focus on handwriting ensures their growing ideas are presented clearly and consistently. Grammar is taught in meaningful contexts, helping children craft more precise and effective sentences. Reading continues to underpin all writing, with children using Accelerated Reader independently to choose books that match their level and interests, both at school and at home. This supports vocabulary development and fuels their creativity. Children also begin to explore script writing and podcast creation, blending traditional literacy with digital communication. Year 3 is a pivotal year where writing becomes a powerful tool for expression, imagination, and real-world communication.

Human Geography

Region Comparison

Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human geography of a region of:
- UK
- EU Country (Italy/Spain)
- American (Central America – Belize & Mexico)
Link with: Roman history

Link with: Mayan history

Physical Geographical

Region Comparison

Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of the physical geography of a region of:
- UK
- EU Country (Italy & Spain)
- American (Central America – Belize & Mexico)
Link with: Roman history
Link with: Mayan history
Locate hot and cold areas of the world by looking at the Equator.
Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: mountains and volcanoes.
Link with: Romans and Mayans

Geographical Skills

Map Reading/ Making

See here Map Making progression document for further detail.

Interpreting
Orientation
Drawing
Symbols
Perspective & Scale
Digital Map Making

Fieldwork

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.

A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan

Spanish Links

Spanish Region Comparison

Region Comparison
Geographical similarities and differences between Spain and Britain

Year 4

Climate: Studying world climates, biomes, vegetation belts, water cycle.

Physical & Human Geography: Exploring countries, cities, climate regions.

Map Making & Fieldwork: Scale and perspective in maps, independent fieldwork recording and presentation.

Spanish Links: Climate studies in Spanish-speaking countries.

Human Geography

Climate

Locate world countries (Russia, China, India, Japan, Australia etc.) concentrating on their key human features and major cities.
Link with: GCP: Photography
Link with: Equiano the adventurer – tracking the climate across his adventures.

Physical Geographical

Climate

Locate world countries concentrating on their environmental regions, the climate of these areas and key physical features.
Link with: GCP: Photography
Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts and the water cycle.
Identify daily weather patterns in the UK

Link with: Victorian Slave Trade. Triangular trade – West indies sugar, South USA cotton and tobacco

Geographical Skills

Map Reading/ Making

See here Map Making progression document for further detail.

Interpreting
Orientation
Drawing
Symbols
Perspective & Scale
Digital Map Making

Fieldwork

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.

A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan

Spanish Links

Spanish Climate

Explore other Spanish speaking countries e.g. Mexico, parts of South America and compare the climate in these countries.
Identify weather patterns in these countries.
Plot these countries on a map and talk about their location in relation to equator, northern/southern hemisphere etc

Year 5

Features of Britain: Settlements, land use, how regions have changed over time.

Rivers and Coasts: Studying river systems, coastal processes, field trip studies.

Map Making & Fieldwork: Annotated field maps, river and coastal surveys, advanced digital mapping.

Spanish Links: Rivers and coastlines of Spain.

Human Geography

Featurs of Britain

Name and locate cities of UK, geographical regions and their human characteristics.
Link with: GCP – Documentaries
Types of settlement that exist in the UK and land-use.
How they have changed over time. And why?
Link with: Bronze and Iron Age History

Physical Geographical

Rivers and Coasts

Trip: Heatree River Study
Trip: Dawlish Warren
Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: Rivers and coasts.
Explain what weathering and erosion mean.
Describe how erosion changes rocks.
Name some features of a coastline.

Features of Britain

Name and locate counties of UK, geographical regions and their physical characteristics.
Locate key cities in the uk and highlight their land-use patterns. Highlight the key topographical features (hills, mountains, valleys, coasts, rivers) How have they changed over time and why?

Geographical Skills

Map Reading/ Making

See here Map Making progression document for further detail.

Interpreting
Orientation
Drawing
Symbols
Perspective & Scale
Digital Map Making

Fieldwork

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.

A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan

Spanish Links

Spanish Coast/ River

Explore the main rivers in Spain. How long are they, where do they begin and end?
Look at the features of a Spanish coastline, do they have the same as England?

Year 6

Trade and Economy: Economic activity, trade links, resource distribution.

Changing Landscapes: Studying physical changes to the Earth since 1800 and future predictions.

Map Making & Fieldwork: Comprehensive fieldwork projects, detailed maps, using GIS tools.

Spanish Links: Spanish trade, distribution, and post-EU trade impacts.

Human Geography

Trade and Economy

Describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including: economic activity including trade links, distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
Link with: GEC

Physical Geographical

Changing Landscapes

Describe how physical changes have affected Earth since 1800.
List some physical changes to the Earth predicted to occur by 2050.
Link with: Trade and boarders.

Geographical Skills

Map Reading/ Making

See here Map Making progression document for further detail.

Interpreting
Orientation
Drawing
Symbols
Perspective & Scale
Digital Map Making

Fieldwork

Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in a local area using a range of methods including sketch maps, plans and graphs and digital technologies.

A detailed plan on this can be found here: Fieldwork Progression Plan