The Geography curriculum at Belle Vue aims for pupils to become citizens of the modern world, passionate about global issues and equipped to make a difference. Our ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum aims for pupils to have an understanding of their world on a range of scales: from Belle Vue as their locality; to Manchester and the challenges it faces as an urban area; to the physical and human environments of the UK; to a wider global picture.

Through our broad and balanced curriculum we widen our pupils’ horizons, introducing them to a range of global locations and ecosystems. We believe that it is vital for pupils to have an understanding of other countries in the world to fully understand how global events will have an impact on them and their lives, deepening their understanding of diversity.

The Geography curriculum at Co-op Academy Belle Vue aims to:

• Develop academic excellence alongside character development by encouraging Belle Vue pupils to be stewards of the world, so therefore include in our curriculum contemporary issues such as plastic pollution, the ongoing fight against climate change and geopolitical issues such as global superpowers and barriers to development.

• Teach how to interpret and challenge a range of information sources and data sets, carefully sequenced to develop skills that will be integral to them in the future. Strong links are made to content and skills learnt in Maths and Science to re-enforce this learning.

• The department will develop strong geographers who are passionate about issues that affect people and the environment locally, through to a global scale. 

• Knowledge-rich Geography lessons will develop: knowledge of human and/or physical processes, geographical skills, locational and Place knowledge

• Our curriculum covers the National Curriculum for Geography

• Each year will will be linked through a common theme to provide strong foundations for future learning and to encourage retention of powerful knowledge over time:

• ‘’What shapes our planet?’ in year 7 looking at the key human and physical processes that have shaped the Earth and Manchester

• ‘What are the issues our Earth faces?’ in year 8 looking at a range of human and physical geographical issues

• ‘The future of our planet’ in year 9 looking at future challenges and sustainability

By the end of key stage 3 pupils should have a sound understanding of key geographical themes including: Interdependence, Landscapes and processes, Place, space, scale, Future risks & Climate Change, Sustainability, Inequality