Curriculum and Assessment Review: Click here to see a summary of the final report recommendations and why schools using Cornerstones curriculum content on Maestro, our digital curriculum platform, are already perfectly placed for the changes ahead.

What do you need to cover in the KS1 geography national curriculum? A teacher’s guide

Key Stage 1 Geography is all about helping children make sense of the world – from their own street to faraway countries. At this stage, it’s less about memorising facts and more about building awareness, curiosity and the language of geography.

The KS1 Geography National Curriculum outlines a clear yet flexible framework. This blog shows you what you need to cover, some ideas for making it engaging and memorable for your children, and the Cornerstones Curriculum projects that include lessons that cover the required programmes of study.

The main Aims of KS1 geography

By the end of KS1, children should:

  • Develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their local area.
  • Begin to understand basic physical and human geographical features.
  • Use geographical vocabulary to describe places and processes.
  • Start using maps, globes and other geographical tools to locate places.

The key areas you must cover

1. Locational knowledge

    Children should learn to:

    • Name and locate the seven continents and five oceans.
    • Name, locate and identify characteristics of the four countries of the United Kingdom and their capital cities.
    • Understand the surrounding seas of the UK.

    Tip: Use songs, puzzles and big colourful maps to make this fun. Repetition through games works wonders.

    Cornerstones Curriculum projects that cover this programme of study:

    2. Place knowledge

      Children should:

      • Compare the human and physical geography of a small area of the UK with a small area in a contrasting non-European country.

      Example combinations:

      • A seaside town in the UK vs. a coastal village in Kenya
      • A rural UK village vs. a rainforest settlement in Brazil

      Tip: Link this with storybooks or class texts – e.g. comparing the setting of a story to the children’s own environment.

      Cornerstones Curriculum projects that cover this programme of study:

      3. Human and physical geography

        Children should learn to:

        • Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles.

        Children should learn key vocabulary for describing:

        • Physical features: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather.
        • Human features: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop.

        Tip: Take local walks and field trips so children can see and name these features for themselves.

        Cornerstones Curriculum projects that cover this programme of study:

        • Bright Lights, Big City (Y1)
        • Our Wonderful World (Y1)
        • Coastline (Y2)
        • Land Ahoy! (Y2)
        • Let’s Explore the World (Y2)

        4. Geographical skills and fieldwork

          Children should be able to:

          • Use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the UK and its constituent countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage.
          • Use simple compass directions (North, South, East, West) and locational/directional language (e.g. near, far, left, right) to describe the location of features and routes on a map.
          • Use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key.
          • Use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds, and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

          Tip: Create treasure hunts using basic maps – this makes compass points and mapping skills highly memorable.

          Cornerstones Curriculum projects that cover this programme of study:

          How to bring KS1 geography to life

          • Link learning to real life – compare places children know with new ones they study.
          • Keep it hands-on – use globes, real maps and local walks, rather than relying solely on worksheets.
          • Integrate weather and seasons – use daily weather charts to embed vocabulary.
          • Connect with other subjects – geography complements art (landscape drawing), literacy (descriptive writing) and science (seasons, habitats) beautifully.

          Final thoughts

          The KS1 geography curriculum is your chance to inspire a love of the wider world. By focusing on where places are, what they’re like and how they compare, you’ll give children the building blocks for deeper geographical understanding in KS2.

          Keep it visual, practical and rooted in real experiences and your children will leave KS1 not just knowing where places are but also wanting to explore them.

          Get high-quality lessons and resources

          Looking for inspiring lessons and resources to bring your Key Stage 2 geography curriculum to life? Creating your own can be time-consuming and requires in-depth knowledge of the subject. Then there’s the question of how you find the best quality supporting resources that let your children get the most out of their learning experience.

          The Cornerstones Curriculum offers everything you need – a carefully sequenced collection of projects designed by subject experts backed by high-quality resources to support teachers at every level of subject knowledge and confidence. Housed on Maestro, our online platform, which will allow you to plan, manage, lead and assess your geography curriculum all in one place.

          Learn more about the Cornerstones Geography Curriculum

          Enquire