At Eldon Primary School we use the HEP Curriculum to teach Geography.

The curriculum is ambitiously broad in scope, meeting and exceeding the National Curriculum through substantial cultural, geographical and religious breadth and representation. The KS2 requirement to compare three regions is addressed through a carefully developed body of knowledge, rather than a tokenistic unit. Across four years, pupils encounter diverse global reference points, including California and the Amazon Basin, the Rhine, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Wales and London, the Indus Valley and the coastal communities of the Indian Ocean. These studies are strengthened by related historical and religious dimensions.

Pupils develop a multifaceted understanding of empires, conquest, oppression and power structures, including their links with migration and the varied cultural experiences of those affected by migration, settlement and conquest. Revisiting these themes enables pupils to understand that Britain has been shaped by migrations over millennia, involving diverse ethnicities. They also learn that accounts of struggle against injustice may be silenced, making the development of well-formed questions essential.

The curriculum is meticulous in its rigour, reflecting up-to-date scholarship in history, geography, culture, religion and worldviews, alongside philosophy and social science. Work on Islamic Civilisations, the Byzantine Empire, the Maya and the ancient Mesopotamians is carefully worded, distinguishing established evidence from informed conjecture and imaginative reconstruction.

It is highly coherent, with intricate horizontal and vertical links across subjects. By Year 6, pupils can interpret poetry, music and art within the context of Christianity’s history in Britain and the wider world. They can also relate Beowulf, the epic of Gilgamesh and the Ramayana, recognising shared features of stories that reflect changing beliefs about justice, peaceful coexistence and problem-solving.

Sequencing is deliberate. Repeated study of rainforests, oceans and land use prepares pupils to compare sustainable resource use and climate-change impacts by Year 5. High-leverage activities ensure that pupils think deeply, retain substantive knowledge and secure vocabulary through repeated, meaningful encounters.