ABSTRACT
As a foundation subject of the national curriculum, geography is now firmly embedded within the curricular requirements of Key Stage 1. Nursery and reception aged children, who although not subject to the same statutory requirements, are likely to be included in the whole school curriculum. Geography for these children is referred to as the human and social area of learning (OFSTED, 1994a). As a subject manager you will need to look at the ways in which the foundations of geographical understanding are laid in the early years of schooling and how the study of geography supports learning of the basic skills of reading and writing. This chapter aims to offer a rationale for the teaching of geography in the very early years (3–5 years) and outline a range of strategies to help the newly appointed subject manager for geography in an infant school or the infant department of a primary school support colleagues in the teaching and learning of geography from the nursery through to Year 2. The role of the subject manager as leader, monitor and evaluator of standards, communicator, organizer, gatherer and deployer of resources and writer of the geography policy and scheme of work will be considered.
