What is the theme about?

The main foci of this topic are Science and Geography, particularly the following areas of study:

• Beaches
• Food chains
• Comparing UK and other parts of the world
• River formation
• Changes to coastal areas
• Water cycle

The learning related to this theme is distributed across both Key Stages and EYFS. Each child will study this topic 3 times over the course of their time at the school building on their prior knowledge and skills. 

Intent

The learners at Caldecote CE Academy live in a small village that is far away from any coastal location in the UK.  The children need to develop an understanding of life in different environments to their own and how life for the residents in a coastal area differs. This builds on the themes of Our Blue Planet and Our Changing World by looking further into coastal erosion and global warming and its impact.

The theme of Coasts also gives us an opportunity to explore how pollution affects the lives of coastal inhabitants.  We will also look at pollution, particularly in connection with plastics, as this is a current environmental issue.

Emergency Services – Our learners recognise the 3 key emergency services, but they also need to know that some emergency services are manned predominantly by volunteers, such as the RNLI. We could also include MAGPAS air ambulance. 

The world environment has led to a change in the climate and the weather.  More extreme weather is being experienced across the globe.  This has led to an increase in storms and higher tides.  This in turn has led to further damage to coastal areas and the need for improved coastal defences.  The learners in our school need to develop their understanding of the dangers of the storms and the damage to coastal areas.