Key Stage 2 geography · Place knowledge

Studying a region in Europe in KS2: a guide for parents

In Key Stage 2, children study one region in a European country, such as Tuscany in Italy or Andalusia in Spain, and compare it with the UK region they have already studied. They look at the landscape and climate, and at how people live, work and travel there. The curriculum asks for a region in a European country but does not name it, so each school makes its own choice.

A region in a European country, explained

The national curriculum asks children to understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country and a region in North or South America. It also asks them to extend their knowledge beyond the local area to the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This page is about the European study. The country and region are the school’s choice. Schools often pick somewhere children may know from holidays or from learning a language, such as Andalusia in Spain, Brittany in France, Tuscany in Italy or Bavaria in Germany.

Children begin with location. They find the country on a map of Europe, name its neighbours and seas, locate the region inside it, and learn the main city. Many also work out how far it is from the UK and in which compass direction, and some link this to time zones. Spain, France and Italy keep their clocks an hour ahead of the UK’s all year, which is a neat first example of how location affects daily life.

Then comes the detail. Physical geography covers the landscape, rivers, mountains, coast and climate. Human geography covers towns and cities, farming, industry, tourism, food, transport and language. For example, a region with hot, dry summers is likely to grow crops that cope with little water, and to attract holidaymakers, which in turn shapes the jobs people do and the way towns are built. Children are encouraged to explain these links, not just to list the features.

Comparison is the heart of the topic. A European region is close enough to the UK that children can see real similarities, such as tourism, farming, towns and a mixture of old and new buildings, as well as clear differences in climate, language, currency and landscape. Teachers want children to avoid stereotypes. A place should be described through evidence: photographs, maps, weather data and facts about daily life. Photographs show a region as it looks on a postcard, so children should ask what they cannot see.

Words your child will hear

Region: A part of a country with its own landscape, climate or way of life.
Climate: The pattern of weather a place has over many years, not just today’s weather.
Mediterranean climate: Hot, dry summers and mild, wetter winters, found around the Mediterranean Sea.
Agriculture: Farming: growing crops and keeping animals.
Tourism: Visitors travelling to a place, which provides jobs but can also put pressure on the environment.
Currency: The type of money used in a country. Spain, France and Italy use the euro; the UK uses the pound.
Stereotype: A fixed, over-simple picture of a place or people that leaves out most of the real picture.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught to understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region in North or South America
Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked enquiry: how does climate shape life in Andalusia?

Suppose your child’s school has chosen Andalusia in southern Spain, a common choice. How does its climate affect the way people live and work there?

Locate it. Andalusia is in the south of Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula, with coast on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Seville. Show it on a map of Europe, with Portugal to the west and Morocco in Africa just across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
Describe the climate. It has a Mediterranean climate: summer daytime temperatures are often in the mid-30s Celsius or higher in inland cities such as Seville, and most rain falls in winter. The UK, by contrast, has cooler summers and rain throughout the year.
Link to farming. Olive trees cope with long dry summers, and Andalusia is famous for olive groves and olive oil. Near Almería, huge areas of greenhouses grow fruit and vegetables that are sold across Europe, because the sunshine gives long growing seasons.
Link to tourism. Sunny weather and beaches on the Costa del Sol bring many visitors from northern Europe, including the UK. This gives jobs in hotels, restaurants and transport, but also puts pressure on water supplies in a dry region.
Compare with the UK region. Both regions rely partly on farming and tourism. The difference is that Andalusia’s sunshine, heat and dry summers lead to different crops and to different challenges, such as water shortages in summer rather than flooding after heavy rain.

Andalusia’s hot, dry summers and mild winters shape its farming (olives and greenhouse crops) and its tourism (sun and beaches). A UK region such as the Lake District also depends on its landscape and visitors, but it is wetter and cooler, so its farming and its problems are different.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking that Europe is one country, or that all of Europe has the same climate and culture

Children often meet Europe as a single block on a map, or hear it linked to the whole of the EU or to the euro.

What helps: Use a map to count countries together and notice the range, from cold Scandinavia to hot southern Spain. Remind your child that the UK is part of Europe even though it is not in the European Union.

Describing the region only through stereotypes such as food, flamenco or beaches

Holiday brochures and books give a narrow picture, and it is easy to repeat it.

What helps: Ask what else is there. Where do people work, how do children get to school, what do they do on an ordinary Tuesday? Look at weather data and farming maps as well as photographs.

Confusing weather and climate

Both words describe the sky and the temperature, and a child who has been on a hot holiday may think the place is always hot.

What helps: Say that weather is what happens today, and climate is what usually happens over many years. Look at monthly average temperatures and rainfall for a European city alongside your own.

Believing that places in Europe must be very different from the UK in every way

Going abroad feels different, so children expect to find only differences.

What helps: Look for what is shared: towns, schools, farms, tourism, supermarkets. Then ask where the differences come from, such as climate, history or language.

How to help at home

Plan a journey. Use an atlas or a digital map to plan how you would travel from home to the region by plane, train or ferry. Ask which seas, countries and cities you would pass over or through.
Weather side by side. Look up the typical temperatures and rainfall in a city in the region and your own town for each season. Ask your child what the numbers say about the best time to visit, and what that means for people who live there.
Read the label. Check the shelves and labels at home for foods that come from Europe, such as olive oil, pasta or cheese, and find where they were made. Ask what the climate and landscape there have to do with it.
Learn a few words. If the region has a different language, learn a few greetings and numbers, for example “hola” (hello), “gracias” (thank you) and “uno, dos, tres” in Spanish. Use them at home and talk about why people in different places speak differently.

Builds on

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Place study: a region in Africa
Key Stage 3: Place study: a region in Asia
Key Stage 3: Comparing and linking places in Africa and Asia