The purpose of this set of resources is to provide support, guidance and ideas for teachers who want to carry out some fieldwork involving water. Together, they trace a spiralised progression pathway so that every time a pupil engages with this substantive knowledge, they have an opportunity to build on what they have done before.

However, they also work as standalone resources, providing an idea of what high-quality fieldwork involving water might look like for each key stage. The resources for EYFS and KS1 provide a range of fieldwork ideas. From KS2, they induct pupils into the process of carrying out a geographical enquiry and are designed to easily fit into existing schemes of work or plans.

More than two thirds (71%) of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Without water there would be no life on Earth, making it the most critical of all natural resources. The water cycle moves water around the planet shaping the landscape through processes such as erosion and deposition. Water, or the lack of it, is fundamental in the location and success of settlements, transport routes, trade, agriculture and tourism as well as being at the heart of many cultural, social and environmental issues.